Changing the Story
by Gemmi92
Summary: "How many times are you going to risk your life for him?" she demanded as they stood in the middle of the highway. He held his shield in his hand as he looked at her. "He's my friend, Rose." His voice sounded broken. "And I'm you're fiancee." Steve/OC
1. Chapter 1

2015, May

Sitting at home and watching the events unfold in Sokovia had been the hardest thing which Rosalie had done. She could remember every single detail. The way the news cameras showed the great buildings tumble to the ground. The way the hellicarriers had hovered and saved countless numbers of lives. She even remembered the sight of unimportant details, such as the fact that one house remained standing but had no windows, and the tone of the news reporter as he flew in his helicopter and reported on the madness.

She could do nothing but fold her arms over herself, looking around the small apartment as if she was expecting something to happen. But she was not in Sokovia, she was in New York. She was there and she was safe. Her apartment, which consisted of nothing more than the minimal decoration, wasn't under attack. Not like the people of Sokovia. Shaking her head slowly, she dropped her head into her hands, her palms encompassing her face as she silently prayed for him to come back.

She had seen him on the camera, running around as if he had no care in the world. His face had been the usual one of determination, a slight tensed jaw was apparent. She managed a small smile at the sight of that. His jaw was well chiselled and whenever he was slightly angry he would always tense it. Whether or not they were having a mundane over groceries or over him running off to save the world.

Peering from between her fingers she saw how the camera panned back to the superhero group who called themselves the Avengers. They were splitting up, each one of them running down a different road and doing their best to save as many people from the destruction of their own homes.

The camera followed Iron Man, predictably, and Rosalie did her best not to roll her eyes. Her and Tony Stark had never fully gotten along together. She thought that he was nothing more than a self-conceited superhero and she didn't entirely share his humour. She knew that there was a deeper level to him, but she wondered just how deep that was. Every time she spoke with him he seemed shallow and just annoying.

"Go back to him," Rosalie pleaded with the camera, longing for it to go back to the blond who had completely and utterly walked into her life and turned it on its head. "Please."

The camera didn't do as she had asked. Instead the screen went black, cutting back to the newsroom after a few moments.

"Charlie?" the news anchor held his fingers to his ear as his gaze looked down to the table he sat behind. "Charlie?"

There was a soft cough from the TV and Rosalie sat right on the edge of her seat, her mouth agape and her eyes wider than usual as she shook her head and did her best not to let the tears cloud her vision.

"We're sorry about that folks, but we seem to have lost Charlie…we'll try out best to keep you up to date with the situation in Sokovia once we have restored communication."

Shaking her head, Rosalie turned the television off and stood up. She tucked her hair behind her ears, nervously pacing the flat and counting her steps. Ten steps to the right and then ten steps back again. Her arm wrapped around her midriff and her other hand held her chin, her fingernails taking a biting too as she shook her head.

She was going mad in the flat. She had to get out. She had to go somewhere and find out what was happening. Rolling her eyes, she grabbed her mac from where she had dumped it over the small oak table and shrugged into it. Picking up her keys, phone and satchel, she moved to the door of the apartment and headed to the one place where she knew she would get her answers.

…

Steve Rogers was exhausted. Being a super soldier meant that he often didn't get too tired, but that was the complete opposite as he sat in the back of the car and closed his eyes. They had landed in the U.S. less than two hours ago and were on the way to the New Avengers Facility which had just been purposefully built for them.

Beside him was the girl they had picked up from Sokovia. She was staring out the window, her eyes wide and her face paler than usual. She held her hands in her lap and her short dress and leather jacket were completely ripped. She was just a kid. Steve guessed that she couldn't be any older than twenty. She had lost so much already and Steve knew that she had nowhere to go. She had been manipulated by Ultron and her powers had been used to help him. She had finally seen the errors of her ways, but he knew that losing her twin had been the low point.

Natasha sat at the front of the car, driving it and speaking in hushed tones with Clint as Steve pretended to be asleep. All he could think about was getting home. He wanted his small apartment in downtown Brooklyn and he needed his own bed. He wanted to go into hiding for a while. He just wanted to be Steve and not Captain America.

Of course he would always be The Cap when necessary. That was the job he had signed up for and he had no intention of letting anyone down. But so much had happened in the past year. Bucky…Ultron…Peggy…and then Rosalie. He knew that his best friend was still out there and he was doing his best to find him, but he knew that it would be difficult. Bucky had seemingly gone into hiding and Steve didn't have a chance to find him.

He regretted that. He wished that he could have gone after Bucky instead of spending his time in a hospital bed where he felt useless. He hated himself for that, but there had been nothing he could have done.

The car jolted to a halt and Steve opened his eyes. Moving from the vehicle he looked up to the large base, his hand moving to his forehead to shield his eyes from the sun. He blinked profusely, realising just how big the base was as the young woman climbed from the car, her arms folding over herself as if she was cold. She walked behind Steve as Natasha and Clint led the way.

Looking back to the girl, Steve was about to ask her if she was okay, but he stopped himself. He knew the answer to his question and he would only feel stupid for asking her. Of course she was not okay. Instead all he could do was try to offer her some comfort.

"I'm sure there will be a room sorted for you where you can sleep for a while," Steve promised her and she looked to him, her eyes wide and her mouth closed firmly. "I mean…I suppose you're tired…"

She nodded to him and he gave her another small smile, doing his best to make her feel safe and secure in the base. Stepping into the marble lobby, a swarm of agents gathered quickly around them, each one of them looking down at their tablets in their hands and speaking quickly with haste. Steve tried to brush them off, not caring for their inquisition as the young woman looked alarmed more than anything else.

"Director Fury wants you all in the debriefing room tomorrow morning at ten."

"There are press conferences lined up for you to offer condolences to families of those who didn't make it."

"Mr Stark also wants to talk to you all later tonight."

"Rosalie Jonson is in the conference room waiting for you."

The flurry of words hit Steve before he raised his hand, blinking once again in a feeble attempt to keep himself alert. With his hand in mid-air, everyone went silent and he went back into his leader role.

"Natasha, take Wanda to a room and see that she is settled," Steve said and Natasha nodded, tilting her head to one side to indicate that the girl should follow her. "And what was that about Rosalie?"

"She's in the conference room," a woman with a tablet said and Clint smirked, slapping the captain on the back as Steve left and the entourage continued to try to talk to him, only for Clint to tell them to back down for the evening.

Wandering along the corridors of the base, Steve dropped his hands to his hips as he came to the staircase to the conference room. He took them two at a time, his red boots making no noise on the marbled floor as he went. The conference room was entirely made of glass and he could see her slumped in a chair, her head on the table and the backs of her hands acting as a pillow for her cheek. Her eyes were scrunched shut and her hair tumbled across one side of her face.

Smiling at the sight of her, he moved into the room, carefully closing the glass door and stepping over to her. He moved his hair on his head, ruffling it slightly before he came to stand over Rosalie. His hand moved to her shoulder that was covered in her long floral print dress. Her mac was discarded over the back of the chair and her bag was on the floor by her side.

She startled quickly and let out a loud sigh before turning her head to the side. Relief soon spread through body as she reached up from the chair to throw her arms around his neck, brining him down to her height as she tucked his face into the crook of her neck and she moved her hands into his hair, breathing in short pants of relief as she moved her own race to rest in his neck. It took a moment for Steve to wrap his arms back around her waist, holding her steady in his arms as she did her best not to sob out loud.

"How long have you been here?" he wondered from her.

"I don't know," she mumbled back, her voice nothing but a gurgle. "I was watching the news but it went dead…I came here and demanded for them to tell me where you were. Steve…"

"Sh," Steve tried to sooth her, knowing full well that everything that had happened would be no good for her mental state. "I'm safe and back home. And you're safe, Rose."

"Yeah," she weakly agreed with him, moving back slightly and taking his cheeks into her palm, making sure that he wasn't hurt.

He was still wearing his Captain America uniform, but it was ripped in several places and the star in the middle was falling from his chest. His hair had dirt in it and his face had a few smudges marring his perfect complexion. Apart from that he seemed unharmed.

"We stopped him," Steve told her, his own hands holding her waist loosely. "Ultron's gone."

"They told me," Rosalie nodded, sniffing and then wiping her eyes with the back of her hands. "They said that you just made it…just…Steve…"

"Hey," Steve tried to calm her again as he saw her take deep breaths and her chest heaved. She closed her eyes and turned her head away from him, almost too ashamed to let him see her like this. "Rose, darling, I'm fine."

"It's…Steve…do you know hard it is?" she asked from him. "To see you continuously go out there and risk your life. It's draining me. Do you not understand? I love you so much but I don't know if I can keep doing this."

"I'm not asking you to do anything, Rose. As long as you're safe here then that is all that matters. I can handle myself." Steve's promises were wiped away with continuous shakes of her head as she moved away from his grip, instantly feeling the loss warmth he had given her.

"I sat with you whilst you were in hospital, Steve," Rosalie said, moving her finger to point to him. "You were unconscious and I didn't know if you were going to make it. I almost lost you then…and now…this Ultron creature…I don't know how much more I can take, but more importantly I don't know how much more you can take."

"What do you suggest I do?" Steve demanded from her. "I cannot sit back and watch people suffer."

"I know that," Rosalie mumbled back and Steve shrugged, suddenly not feeling tired anymore as he looked to her and she sniffed again. "I know that's not you."

"Then what?" Steve wondered, his arms flapping by his side. "You know who I am, Rose. I cannot change. I cannot stop when I see suffering."

"It's driving me mad!" Rosalie finally snapped, unable to lower her voice as she yelled at him. "Sitting around and not knowing when…or if…you will come back is killing me. I love you too much and I want you to be selfish, Goddamn it. I want you to be safe!"

"That's not who I am," Steve yelled back at her and she nodded her head, accepting defeat as she sunk to rest the back of her thighs against the table, folding her arms and tilting her head to look to the ceiling.

"And I know that."

Steve kept silent, watching as she sucked in a breath and closed her eyes. He remained stood where he was, moving to fold his arms over his chest as he shrugged his shoulders, looking to the ring sat on Rosalie's finger.

"Then what do you want?" Steve wondered and there was a fragility to his voice as Rosalie turned to look at him and she shook her head, her hands running nervously through her hair.

Looking to him, she knew the words that wanted to come from her mouth, but she was having a harder time saying them then she could have imagined. He looked broken. He looked as broken as she felt. Shaking her head, she kept her distance from him as the ring on her finger continued to weigh her down, almost as if it knew what decision it should make for her.

"I don't know."

With a slam of his fist against the table, Steve quickly left the room, ignoring Rosalie as she tried to call him back. Shaking her head, she placed a hand over her mouth as the tears began to fall freely.

2012

Rosalie Jonson didn't believe it at all. She believed none of it had really happened. A Norse God? A Green Man? A man who had been frozen since the World War? It was ridiculous, yet it had happened. Shaking her head, she wandered into the newsroom and walked down and along the rows of Macs with her coffee cup in her hands. It had been five months since the Battle of New York and everyone was rebuilding their lives.

Even though Rosalie had transferred from The New York Mail to The Washington Mail she still had friends and family she cared for in New York. The Avengers were not her story, but she still rolled her eyes whenever she heard people mention them in passing.

"What story do you have today, Jonson?"

Rosalie had barely sat down at her desk before the political editor had asked her the usual question. She set her cup down and reached for her planner, folding her legs over each other and looking to the elder woman on the opposite desk who was stood up, her usual cup of herbal tea in her fingertips as she arched her brow expectantly.

"Not a lot," Rosalie admitted. "The British Prime Minister is due to visit in less than three days, but since Obama won re-election it has been pretty quiet on the political front. I was thinking of just heading over to The White House and chatting with their Press Officer. We go back to college so she might have something I can use."

"Fine," Marina nodded her head. "And write a piece about what the UK PM is due to do during his visit. Get it into me before we go to print at five."

"Sure," Rosalie agreed, draining her coffee. "I'll head over to The House and be back by lunch."

"And try to get a good story," Marina said before sinking down to sit at her desk and talk to the deputy editor next to her.

Rosalie stood up and grabbed her satchel and left her desk and warm coffee behind. Shrugging into her grey blazer as she went, she draped her satchel on her shoulder and left the building. Once on the sidewalk, she began the familiar walk towards The White House. She was grateful that the Mail wasn't far away from Pennsylvania Avenue.

It was only as she came to the familiar Monument did she pause and look up to it, still in awe of where she was. She never tired from looking at it. She enjoyed it more than she cared to admit. Realising that she should call Jane, the Press Officer, in advance she looked down to her phone. It was only then when she felt someone bump into her shoulder and her satchel tumbled down her shoulder, the contents spilling on the floor.

Before Jane could answer on the other end of the phone Rosalie had hung up the phone and was already on her knees.

"I am so sorry, ma'am."

Making sure that she didn't sit on her grey pencil skirt, Rosalie knelt back on her heels and began to move items back into her satchel as another pair of hands came out to help her, grabbing at her notebooks and pens and handing them to her.

"Yeah, it's fine," Rosalie made a non-committal sound as she took the notepad and pens from him to dump in her satchel. "I suppose it happens all the time. I'm more impressed that you're polite enough to stop and help. Most people would have…"

She trailed off as she finally met his gaze and her brows furrowed. She couldn't deny that he was well built, decked out in running gear that clung to his body in a way most women would find rather attractive. That didn't detract from his face either. His baby blue eyes and chiselled jaw was enough to make Rosalie consider if he was even human. He most certainly rivalled the only God which Roaslie had seen in the form of Thor.

"Are you alright?" he wondered from her and she nodded at him as he remained bent on one knee and she did her best not to look too foolish.

"Fine," Rosalie said and she moved to her feet before he event had chance to offer her his hand. "Anyway, thanks again…what…do I know you?"

Before he event had a chance to answer the question she was looking at him intently, her head jutting out as she took in his features and squinted. He watched her back and shook his head, unsure of what he should say in response. He had never met her before. Of course, he suspected that she might recognise him, but he had done his best to lay low for as long as possible. After New York he wanted to stay quiet for a while.

"No, I don't think so," he said to her, his hands on his hips as she shook her head.

"Sorry," she said, realising how ridiculous it sounded. "I just thought that you might be Captain America…you know…Steve Rogers…after New York I have been Googling a lot and struggling to understand."

He rocked back and forth on his heels and shrugged his shoulders, knowing full well that the woman before him was no idiot.

"Just don't tell anyone," he mumbled to her and began to start walking backwards and away from her. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss…"

"Jonson," Rosalie said, unable to believe that she had just bumped into Captain America, literally. "Wait, you're him? You're actually him?"

"Yeah," Steve called out to her, still walking backwards as Rosalie followed him, her satchel moving down her shoulder slightly as she tried to keep up with him. "But I'm laying low for a while."

"But…how…how is it possible? I don't understand…you were on ice," Rosalie said and he chuckled and looked to the sky above him.

"It's a long story," he told her and Rosalie shrugged.

"I have time," she told him.

Steve stopped wandering and stood still then, tilting his head to the side. She wanted to know? Mind you, who didn't want to know? But he had to admit that he was weary of her. He was weary of who he should speak to ever since Fury had warned him that there would be people who would want to know every detail of his life.

"Why?" Steve wondered from her.

Rosalie looked at him as if he was crazy. "You really have to ask?"

Knowing that was probably a stupid question he nodded his head in agreement with her but sighed. "No can do," he said. "Like I said, I'm laying low for a while."

She almost wanted to scoff but she kept silent, shaking her head as he began to jog away from her, turning his head over his shoulder.

"But it was nice to meet you, Miss Jonson."

...

A/N: First chapter of my new Captain America/OC story. I hope you'll let me know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

2012

"I'm not lying!"

Rosalie sat in the conference room among all the other journalist, banging her pen against the paper of her leather bound planner as everyone looked at her with there brows arched and she kept her eyes wide, doing her best not to falter under their questioning stares. She knew how ridiculous it sounded, but she was telling the truth.

"You bumped into Captain America on your way to the White House?" Marina checked, sitting at the head of the table underneath the flat screen TV which showed the logo of the Washington Mail bouncing around.

Shifting in her seat, Rosalie tossed one leg over the other one and nodded her head, folding her arms over her chest and tossing her pen to the side of her notepad. Leaning back, she looked as though she dared anyone else to challenge her. But they said nothing. There were five of them in the conference room. Marina was in charge of the politics desk of the newspaper whilst her deputy editor made sure everything was subbed in time. There were three feature writers, including Rosalie.

"I saw him," Rosalie said. "He told me himself. Look, Captain America is in Washington. Are you telling me that is not a story?"

"No," Marina shook her head, her short blonde hair bouncing on top of her shoulders as she chewed on the pen lid between her whitened teeth. "It is a story, but not one worthy of the Mail. What do we say? We just say that Captain America is here? Great. No one cares. If you found out more about him then that would be a story….who he was seeing…what his political views are…an exclusive on what it was like being on ice…then that is a story. What you have is nothing exciting."

Frowning, Rosalie did her best not to listen as Mike snickered next to her. Mike Davidson was the thorn in her side. He was constantly trying to outdo her with the biggest scoop and he loved nothing more than grilling politicians until they wanted to punch his perfect face. He was the typical good looking jock who had somehow made it as a journalist. His floppy black hair was always pushed back behind his ears and his blue eyes pierced anyone who looked into them.

"Shame a proper journalist didn't bump into him," Mike muttered so that only Rosalie could hear.

She just ground her teeth together and glowered across to him as Marina chatted with her deputy, Becky, to the side.

"Jonson," Marina spoke her name again and Rosalie looked over to her again, tucking her hair behind her ear as she made the motion. "Go back to Pen Ave and see if he is there again. If he is a runner then he will be running often enough. If you get some kind of exclusive then we will see about running it. You never know your luck."

Nodding, Rosalie stood up and shot an almost gloating glare to Mike as she left the glass conference room and took hold of her stuff again. She could be back at the Monument at the same time as yesterday if she moved fast enough. She could only hope that he would be there again.

Rushing out the office without her coat or purse, she kept her mobile in the pocket of her suit jacket and her notebook tucked underneath her arm. The sun was shining down over Washington and the July air was crisp as tourists wandered Washington DC, cameras draped around their necks as they went. There was the usual array of business people, their briefcase in their hands and a coffee in the other.

Settling down on a bench on the green just down the road from the White House, she looked around and kept her eyes peeled. She doubted she couldn't notice him if he came past. He was horrifically fit and just as attractive. Who could deny that? She had been caught off guard by him yesterday, but she would be ready this time.

Although she didn't know how to play this. If she told him that she was a journalist looking for an interview then she suspected he would run a mile away. Of course that was if he showed up. A part of her doubted that he would even turn up, but she didn't know. Maybe he would. She would have to wait and see. She sat quietly and flicked through her planner notebook, wondering if she had anything on that evening except for her usual session at the gym.

"Stalking me, huh?"

Looking up, Rosalie saw him stood there, his hands on his hips. He was wearing jogging pants and a tight blue top that clung to him like yesterday. He didn't even sweat as he stopped his run and raked a hand through his short blond hair. Rosalie stood up; looking up to him with a tilt of her chin as she eyed him with, what she hoped, was intrigue.

"Well, it isn't every day I get to meet someone who claims that they are Captain America," Rosalie responded, dropping her arms by her sides as he looked to the sun, nodding his head contemplatively before Rosalie dared to speak again. "Anyway, I am a journalist. It is our job to be interested in this stuff."

Steve seemed to have his interest piqued once he heard her say that. Looking over to her, he folded his arms across his chest and Rosalie almost knew what he was thinking. He should run. He should run miles before she even managed to get a story on him. Steve knew that. He had been warned to keep a low profile for the time being and talking with a journalist was doing the complete opposite.

"A journalist, huh?" Steve asked from her.

"Yeah," Rosalie responded, sensing the sudden shift in atmosphere. "Anyway, I wasn't stalking you."

The lie seemed to roll off of her tongue and she hoped that he would buy it. Of course, he still looked unconvinced as she rocked back and forth on her heels and he kept his arms guarded over his torso.

"Really?" he wondered, clearly not believing anything that she was saying to him.

"Really," she responded. "I was just getting out of the office. This happens to be one of my favourite places to come to. You know, I'm a White House journalist so I spend a lot of time here."

Steve arched a brow and nodded his head. "Impressive," he told her. "So I suspect that I might see you around these parts in the future? If you're always here."

Nodding with a shrug, Rosalie tried not to look too suspicious. Getting Captain America to open up would be difficult. She could sense that much. He was guarded and he kept himself to himself. She could tell that much by the way he held himself. Not that she could blame him at all. She suspected he had been through enough without people prying. He wasn't Iron Man. He didn't court publicity.

"Depends," Rosalie said. "Do you run here often?"

"Most days," he admitted to her. "It helps to keep my mind clear."

"Really?" Rosalie wondered, dropping the journalist act she had put on. "I find that running just drags up memories I would rather forget. I end up thinking too much…instead of focusing on running."

"Then you're thinking too much," Steve informed her. "You're supposed to focus on what is in front of you and nothing else. That's how you keep your mind clear."

"Huh," Rosalie responded, looking around for a moment as Steve seemed to scrutinise her, clearly trying to weigh her up. "I'll remember that next time I go for a run."

"Do," Steve said. "Anyway, I should get back to it. I'm not sure why I disturbed you in the first place."

Rosalie laughed at hearing him and his lips quirked upwards at the noise. "Because I get the feeling you're polite," Rosalie deduced. "You're probably too polite for this town anyway."

"What makes you say that?"

Steve wished that he could stop asking her questions. He should just run and head back home and then to work. What would Fury say if he knew that he was talking to this woman? Would he be happy? Steve doubted it. Fury had warned him of the ways of modern life, especially the fact that people could not really be trusted with knowledge of who Steve was if he wanted to stay low. But Steve missed talking. He missed having someone who he could confide him. He was lonely and he would be the first to admit that.

"Well, I don't exactly think you're ignorant considering that you were brought up in an era where manners were taught," Rosalie declared. "And you stopped to help me pick up my bag yesterday. Not many people around here would have done that. If anything, they would have taken it as an opportunity to mug me."

Steve frowned at hearing that part. "Things have definitely changed," he admitted and Rosalie watched him as he looked contemplatively around.

"It must be hard," Rosalie suddenly blurted out, wondering why she couldn't stop herself from talking. "To wake up in an era where so much has changed from what you're used to."

Steve nodded at that part, a sad smile on his face as he did so. "It's not the easiest," he informed her. "Technology has advanced…women no longer wear skirts to their knees…and some of the men are just rude. No one holds doors open for anyone."

Rosalie shrugged. "It's the modern society," she informed him, wondering what had happened to her inquisitive side. She was supposed to be using him for a story, yet she could do nothing but feel pity for him. He looked lost. He seemed confused.

"Listen," Rosalie said, knowing that she was playing with fire and probably about to be rejected. "I know that you probably don't trust me, what with me being a journalist, but if you ever need someone to help you or explain anything then…well…just give me a call, okay?"

Steve looked apprehensive at that part. He continued to stare at Rosalie as she opened her notebook and scribbled down her cell number. She tore it out and offered it to him. Steve took it from her fingers slowly, looking at the digits before dangling the paper in his fingertips.

"You're offering to help me?" Steve asked from her.

Rosalie laughed then. "You're getting the hang of it," she said, "you're trusting nobody who offers to help."

Steve chuckled then, scratching the back of his hand before looking down and nodding to her. "Well, I had heard some things about trusting people, but you seem pleasant enough, even if you are stalking me."

Rolling her eyes, Rosalie tucked her notebook back under her arm.

"You wish I was stalking you," she said. "Anyway, like I said, give me a call if you need anything. I've got to get back to work and you've got a run to finish."

"And I was on my best time before I bumped into you," Steve told her and she smirked as she began to walk away, offering a final wave in his direction before he went off on his run.

She turned her head over her shoulder to watch him go as he did the same, both of them clearly intrigued by each other.

….

A/N: Thanks for reading and let me know what you think!


	3. Chapter 3

2012

Rosalie didn't want to admit that she spent the rest of her day looking at her cell and longing for it to ring. She waited with patience, but nothing seemed to happen. She kept looking back to her Mac and then back to her cell but nothing changed. Every time it went off with a simple buzz she thought it might be him, but it never was. It was either an email or a notification from CNN News Channel. Sighing, she kept tapping away at her keyboard until the time came for her to leave work and make her way back downtown to her apartment for the evening.

Moving with haste, she placed her bag onto her shoulder and left the building, her arms folded by her chest and her jacket draped into them.

The journey home by subway was quick and painless, even though it was horrifically busy. She was grateful when she came to her apartment and flung the door open, dropping her jacket onto the sofa and then her bag onto the floor by the arm. Sitting down on the leather couch, she reached for the remote to the TV that remained on the coffee table.

She remained seated, preparing to spend the evening watching nothing but reality TV before ordering a Chinese and sleeping. And that was her routine in a nutshell.

…

it was another week before Steve Rogers saw Rosalie Jonson again. He had been sent on a mission away from Washington D.C and had only just returned back. He had considered calling the number that he tucked away in his leather jacket before he had gone, but he had thought about it again once he had been called away on a mission.

But now he was back and running around the park, the number having moved from his jacket to his pants pocket as he thought about the woman again. Rosalie had been different to any woman he had met before. She had laughed and joked with him. She had even been witty. She reminded him of Peggy for a moment or two. She certainly had the same attitude as she did.

He didn't know why he as finding it so difficult to get Rosalie from his mind. He had other things to worry about instead of her. He had a job and missions to complete. He had people who relied on him. He should not be distracted over a woman, regardless of how attractive and thought consuming she was to him.

It was ludicrous. He had met her only once, yet she was inside of his head more than he cared to admit.

And that was why he called her.

…

Rosalie had been a bumbling idiot when Steve had called her. At first she had suspected the unknown number was someone trying to cold call her. She'd had enough of those in her time. But then she had heard his familiar voice on the other end of the line and she had almost slipped from her spinning chair. She had agreed to meet him in a bar when she finished work just a few minutes from her office block, hanging up after saying goodbye about five times.

The rest of the day seemed to drag by until the end of the day finally came and she moved with haste from the block, keeping her meeting a secret from everyone else on the politics desk. She didn't want to discuss with the how she might have a story on Captain America.

At the same time she didn't know if she wanted him to be a story. She had told the desk that she would scout him out, but she wasn't sure she wanted to. He seemed to be holed up in his own bubble and that suited him. Going undercover wasn't an option for her either. She didn't want to befriend him and then sell his story without his permission.

Perhaps the story could wait.

Once she came to the bar she went inside, pushing the door open and moving inside, noticing how quiet it was for a Friday night. She looked around the small booths before noticing him sat in one at the end, dressed in a check shit and brown pants, a leather jacket hanging around his body.

Rosalie took a breath and pushed her satchel further onto her shoulder before walking over to him, her hair moving behind her ears with her hands as she finally noticed him look up and over to her, his eyes wide and his face unreadable.

"Hi," Rosalie managed the word to him.

"Hey," he responded.

"So, I have to admit that I was shocked you called," Rosalie told him, slipping into the seat across from him and depositing her satchel next to her along with the beige mac she had been wearing. "I never thought you would."

"Well," Steve shrugged, "it's been a busy week and you did offer to help me if I needed help."

"I did," Rosalie agreed, noting the bottled beer in front of him as he pushed a glass of wine towards her.

"I didn't think that you would like beer," Steve informed her, handing her the wine and Rosalie grinned and took the alcohol.

"Well, I do like wine," Rosalie told him before she leaned across and took hold of Steve's bottle of beer before pressing it to her lips and taking a gulp. She handed it back to him and Steve arched a brow with an amused look on his face. "But I do prefer beer."

"Duly noted," Steve promised her and she smiled across to him, feeling her cheeks warm and tingle as she held the glass of wine in both of her hands, swilling the liquid around in the handprint stained glass.

"So what did you need help with?" Rosalie wondered from him.

"Nothing really," Steve admitted to her and Rosalie looked confused at hearing him.

Shaking his head, Steve looked down to the table, almost feeling slightly embarrassed for asking her to come here. He didn't know if she would understand why he had asked her here, or if she would think that he was pathetic.

"It's….it's weird," Steve finally informed her. "I'm here but everyone I knew or loved is not. There is no one for me to talk to…no one for me to do normal things with. Even when I went on runs before, I could see people sat on benches and talking with each other. Everyone seemed to have someone, but I don't. And then I bumped into you and you're the only person I have spoken to outside of work. You didn't even talk to me as though I was Captain America…you talked to me…and asked if I needed help…as if you understood me…as if you knew how lost I felt."

Keeping quiet, Rosalie finished listening to his explanation and she felt guilt eat up inside of her for even thinking about selling his story. How could she do that to this man? Looking at him now she felt guilty.

"I can only imagine how hard it must be," Rosalie finally spoke to him and he looked her in the eye once he had finished staring at his table. "I just thought that it must be hard for you to adapt to the modern world, but I never thought about how lonely it must feel for you."

Chuckling, Steve shook his head. "I didn't mean to get that heavy."

"No," Rosalie said with a stern shake of her head. "No, it's fine. Honestly, I get it. Well, I don't get it, but I can understand."

"Thank you," Steve told her. "Even doing something normal like having a beer feels different."

"I can imagine that is because the taste of beer has changed since your day," Rosalie dared to try and lighten the mood as she sipped on her wine and Steve nodded his agreement with her.

"It has a bit," Steve told her. "Then again, most things have changed."

"For the better?" Rosalie wondered.

"I have yet to decide," Steve remained coy. "Anyway, thanks for coming. I thought that you might have been busy tonight."

"Nah," Rosalie promised him, moving to cross her legs underneath the table as she rested her arms on the table, her fingers still toying with the glass of wine. "I mean, I did have a fun filled evening of making soup and watching reruns of Dancing with the Stars, but I think I'm okay here for now."

"Dancing with the Stars?" Steve wondered from her.

"It's a show about celebrities learning how to dance," Rosalie declared. "It's quite the hit in America. You might want to have a watch one day."

"Perhaps," Steve agreed with a non-committal nod in her direction.

"Anyway, work is very quiet at the moment compared to before when everyone was still reliving the events of New York," Rosalie said and then realised who she had said it to. "Which I totally do not want to talk about if you don't want to talk about it. Sorry…I shouldn't have mentioned New York-"

"-It's fine," Steve assured her with a nod of his head. "Everyone knows what happened in New York anyway."

"But not everyone saved lives," she retorted to him and he shrugged at her.

"I did what anyone else would have done if they were me," he promised and she chuckled at hearing that and shook her head.

"No," she replied. "A lot of people would have walked away without a second thought, Steve. Most people aren't as brave as you seem to think."

"Well a lot of people aren't built like I am," he replied and she did her best not to quiz him some more. "But yeah, New York wasn't the best."

"I can imagine," Rosalie said. "But you defeated us along with the rest of the Avengers…even Iron Man who I completely despise. Do you know how much of an arse he is really? I mean, some of his press conferences are disgraceful."

Steve laughed at hearing her say that, nodding his head in agreement with her.

"He's an acquired taste," Steve informed her. "But I hear he is settled down with Pepper Potts now."

"Oh really?" Rosalie asked from him. "Well, the showbiz desk would have a complete field day with that information. Apparently there are just rumours at the moment, but if you want to go on the record and confirm it…" she trailed off in a joking manner and Steve did burst into laughter then, holding his hands up in the air in defence.

"Everything is strictly off the record," he said and Rosalie finished laughing into her glass.

"You know they would pay you a fortune for confirmation?" she checked with him and he shook his head. "Especially if you had a photo to go with it."

"I think Pepper might kill me if I did," Steve informed Rosalie. "Stark would probably just be glad for the attention."

"Oh, no doubt," Rosalie said to him.

The rest of the night passed in a similar fashion, both of them laughing and joking over trivial matters. Rosalie told Steve things about herself while Steve told Rosalie things about himself. He ordered them more drinks before Rosalie went up for a round, telling Steve that in the modern world women paid just like men. He didn't seem too convinced, but he let her do as she pleased.

"Well this has been nice," Rosalie informed Steve as she struggled to put her mac on once they were outside of the bar.

"It has been," he informed her. "And maybe we can do it again?"

"I'd like that," she responded. "Are you busy this weekend at all?"

"No," Steve shook his head.

"Well maybe we can grab coffee?" Rosalie wondered from him.

"Sounds good," he agreed and Rosalie nodded her head, wondering how to part with him.

In the end she gave him a simple wave and turned on her heel as Steve remained stood still, watching her as she went away. It was only when she was out of sight did Steve realise that it was still dark and he should never have let her leave alone.

And so Steve allowed himself to be that gentleman from decades ago.

He ran to catch up with her and offered her an escort home.


	4. Chapter 4

"Jonson!"

Rosalie almost jumped out of her skin at the sound her of name being called. She dropped her pen to her desk and looked up to Marina as she stood before her, holding a piece of paper dotted in red pen marks. Biting down on her bottom lip, Rosalie watched on as Marina let the paper flutter down onto her desk. Rosalie knew that she was in trouble. She could tell by the fact that the woman's face looked like thunder.

"Do you remember what you said last week?" Marina dared to ask and Rosalie shook her head before nodding.

"No, I mean, yes, I do remember, but it's become complicated," Rosalie defended herself from the woman's angry tone. "Look, I have been with him for the past week and he's not like what people think."

Marina dropped a hand to her hip and tilted her head to the side. "Do you think I care about his puppy dog stare and sob story?"

"I doubt you care for anyone's sob story," Rosalie spoke in a mutter so that Marina couldn't hear her fully. She picked up the paper and looked over the red marks, ignoring them before screwing the piece of paper up and tossing it into the bin underneath her desk.

"The copy you sent me on him is useless," Marina said, pointing to the bin where the paper now sat. "They were facts, Jonson. There was nothing in there that was publishable. You've been talking to him for the past week. There has to be something of use?"

Rosalie shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She could feel all of the sets of eyes on her as she looked to them and they quickly turned back to their Macs, ignoring her harsh stare before her eyes went back to Marina.

"He has no interest of going on the record," Rosalie spoke, not that she had even asked him before. She had no intention of asking him because she knew the answer.

"Then go on the record for him," Marina declared. "Write a piece from your point of view of him. What is he like? Is he lost? That would be more interesting than reeling off his entire biography."

Frowning, Rosalie shrugged her shoulders and picked her pen up from her desk to twirl in her fingers, as she remained silent and contemplative. "I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that."

Mike scoffed loudly at the desk next to Rosalie then. "Comfortable," he muttered the word as though it was blasphemy. And it was to a journalist. How many times had she been told to move out her comfort zone? Yet this was something she did not want to do.

"Jonson, do you know why I hired you?" Marina demanded from Rosalie.

"My impeccable wit and charm?" Rosalie asked sarcastically and Marina pursed her lips into a tight line before glowering over to Rosalie.

"Not quite," she said, trying to keep her temper under control as Rosalie did her best not to look too shocked with her boss's anger. She should have seen this coming. She really should have known that she couldn't get away with it. "I hired you because you were a pusher. I had never met anyone as pushy as you before. You do what has to be done to get a story, despite who you step over. So, imagine how weird I found it when I read that piece of crap on Captain America."

Groaning, Rosalie dropped her pen forcefully onto the desk. "I'm used to stepping over bent congressmen and dodgy Senators," Rosalie hissed. "I have no intention of screwing over a guy who saved this planet."

"Why?" Marina wondered. "Don't tell me you think he's handsome? What is it? You're sleeping with him?"

"I've met him four times," Rosalie snarled back.

"Then what? Don't tell me you're scared of asking him because he's some kind of superhero?" Marina demanded.

Shaking her head, Rosalie kept her mouth closed. She hadn't asked him because she saw how scared he was. The man could barely use a microwave, never mind think about going to a national newspaper with his worries. Besides, there was a selfish part of Rosalie that didn't see Steve as the story. She saw him as a lost man and she felt for him. And she liked him. She liked him as a person. She had hung out with him a couple of times and each time she had taught him something new and he had told her something about his past. Sometimes it felt as though Steve was the only friend she had.

"Do you know what?" Marina asked. "I'm not interested. Either get him to do an interview or write a thousand words on him from your point of view. I want it by next Friday. Got it?"

Rosalie had no chance to answer back before Marina was heading off the conference room with her deputy editor. Keeping quiet, Rosalie looked to her Mac and checked her email.

"Seems to me like someone's got a crush on the Cap," Mike suddenly piped up.

"Seems to me like someone only speaks up when he's not scared of getting his balls handed to him on a plate," Rosalie sniped back, not even bothering to look to Mike as he stood up and moved slowly towards her desk, his hands gripping onto the arms of her chair as he leant over her, his mouth close to her ear.

"You should be careful, Jonson," he warned her in a soft hum. "You're treading on dangerous ground."

"Piss off, Mike," Rosalie snarled and Mike patted her once on the shoulder before heading over to the showbiz desk, no doubt to flirt with Mindy.

Rosalie let out a shaky breath and opened a word document, preparing to write down her time with Steve Rogers. But she couldn't even begin to type. Her hands froze over the keyboard as she shook her head and closed the document. Moving with haste, she grabbed her satchel and mac before leaving the office. She deserved to finish early after the show she just gave everyone in the newsroom.

…

Standing outside of the bar, Rosalie rocked back and forth on her heels as she waited with patience for Steve. They had agreed to meet outside of the small bar because it was a secluded area and Steve wasn't into the busy places. The air was chilly and it was turning dark as Rosalie checked the time on her phone. Steve was four minutes late. That was unusual for him. He was never late for anything.

"I am so sorry."

Rosalie jumped as his voice came out of nowhere and she turned around to see him stood there. Since she had left work early she had gone home and changed into a checked red pinafore, placing her white blouse underneath it with black tights. She clutched her satchel to her side before smiling to Steve.

"It's fine," she told him.

"So should we grab a drink?"

He rubbed his hands together and Rosalie drank in the brown leather jacket he wore over a checked shirt. He looked particularly rugged and his hair wasn't as neat as it usually was. She said nothing on the matter. Instead she shook her head at his question and dared to speak to him.

"Can we take a walk first?" Rosalie wondered from him. "I kind of have something I need to tell you."

"Sure," Steve agreed and began to walk beside her, keeping his paces at her speed as she looked down to the ground and tucked her hair behind her ear, doing her best not to seem too worried with how he would take her piece of news.

"So," Steve started the conversation and Rosalie looked up to him, realising that she had said nothing to him, despite being the one who wanted to talk.

"Yeah," Rosalie mumbled, not sure if she wanted to tell him the truth about why she had befriended him to begin with. Would he forgive her? Would he be angry? But why did she care so much? Why did this matter to her? She didn't know, but she knew that she had to find out.

"Look, whatever you have to tell me can't be that bad," Steve tried to lighten the mood.

"I just don't want you to hate me," she responded. "Because when I think about what I did…well…I kind of hate myself for it. Not that I have done anything really…well…I could do…"

"Rose," Steve said and Rosalie glanced up to him, her brows knitted together.

"Did you just call me Rose?" she dared to wonder from him and he bit down on his lip before shrugging.

"Sorry," he said. "Do you-"

"-It's fine," Rosalie promised him. "It's just that no one really calls me Rose. Even my parents call me Rosalie, but it's fine. I don't mind you calling me Rose."

Nodding, Steve went quiet again, his hands in his pockets as Rosalie stood still on the quiet sidewalk, a light above them flickering and casting incomplete shadows on the ground beneath as cars slowly drove past.

"That day in the park," Rosalie told him. "Not the day we met, but the day after."

"I remember," Steve assured her with a nod. He doubted he would forget meeting her there.

"Well, the thing is," Rosalie declared with a nervous glance around. "I went there to find you. I…after the first time we met…I went to the newsroom and told them I had found you. I said it was a story, but they didn't agree. They wanted more. They wanted this big exclusive with Captain America and so they sent me back out and I bumped into you again. I…I went there with the intention of befriending you to get a story."

The look on Steve's face fell as Rosalie shook her head, her hands shaking by her sides as Steve continued to watch her, allowing her to continue on with her story before he retorted back to her comments.

"But I got to know you. We went for a drink and then coffee…and then we met again for a meal…and from that first night we went out for a drink I didn't want to befriend you for a story. I wanted to be your friend because I liked you, because I saw that there was more to you than just the star spangled suit."

Steve kept quiet and Rosalie took another breath before looking around, almost as though she was scared to look at Steve. He did nothing but look at her with wonder, almost as though he was trying to weigh up her words. He kept on staring as she bit down on her bottom lip, her gaze narrow and her hands clenched together by her stomach. Steve could see that she was in turmoil. He knew that, but he didn't know how to react. Steve had never been too great in a social situation. He had barely had to converse in such a manner before.

But what she said bore some truth to it. She looked at him beyond the suit. She saw more than the stars and stripes. Sometimes Steve struggled to remember that there was something beyond that, but he often remembered that he was just a man. Yes, he had super serum, but he still was just a man. And Rosalie saw that.

"God, you can't even look at me," Rosalie whispered after a second, the hurt in her voice evident as she dared to peer to Steve. "I'll just go. You don't need me here."

It took Steve a moment before he reached out and grabbed her wrist to stop her from leaving. She startled at the feeling of his hand around her skin, but she had to admit that it wasn't entirely unpleasant. Daring to move her gaze up, Rosalie met Steve's gaze and she saw that he was looking at her with a rueful smile.

"It's fine," he responded to her. "I…I don't want this to stop us being friends."

"Really?" she responded.

"Really," Steve said. "I mean, you told me the truth, didn't you?"

"Well, yeah, but at first I was going to lie to you…to string you along…"

"But you didn't," Steve said, trying to forget the conversation they were having. He shrugged his shoulder and dropped her wrist before running his hand down the back of his head. "I mean, you did for a bit, but you just told me. You could have kept lying to me, Rose."

There he was again with the nickname. She kept silent for a moment before rocking back and forth on her heels. She nodded, taking deep breaths and wondering what she had just done to her career. She doubted her boss would be happy with her response, but she struggled to care. She liked Steve, and in this town she didn't have many friends. It was nice to have Steve as a friend.

"Friends again?" Steve checked.

She smiled to him and nodded her head. "Friends."

….

A/N: Let me know what you think!


	5. Chapter 5

Rosalie sat in the coffee shop eight weeks after her admission to Steve about why she had initially tried to befriend him. Steve had been offish to begin with, which Rosalie could completely understand, but he had soon started talking freely to her. She had been worried to begin with, knowing full well that hurting Steve was not what she wanted to do. She liked Steve. She was his friend and she wanted to prove that.

But that still didn't stop her writing about him. Of course, everything she wrote would never be published, but she couldn't stop herself. She found herself in a peculiar situation. She was a friend with Captain America. She thought that a part of her might go mad if she didn't write it down. It still seemed surreal. Of course, Rosalie often wrote down her feelings, but now those thoughts were focused mainly on Steve.

"Sorry I'm late."

Rosalie shut her journal with haste on the table, dropping her pen on top of it before smiling over to Steve. He sat down across from her and Rosalie dragged her journal back into her satchel. Steve offered her a small smile which she returned and then caught the attention of a passing waitress.

"Hey, can we grab two coffees, please?" Rosalie asked and the girl shrugged.

"Sure," she replied.

"Thanks," Rosalie spoke and looked back to Steve. "Anyway, how have you been? I haven't seen you since…well…the other day."

Rosalie and Steve broke into a soft laughter at hearing that, shaking their heads slowly. Steve moved his hand to the back of his head, scratching his neck as he shrugged his shoulders. He often forgot how often he saw Rosalie. He was always arranging to meet with her. Most nights he would call her, having gotten to grips with his cell phone. He would listen to her as she moved around her kitchen, putting him on speakerphone as she prepared dinner.

Steve had to admit that her culinary expertise was lacking. She rarely made a full meal and often ordered take out or had ready meals. She blamed the fact that she was working all the time for that. Steve had, very kindly, offered to cook for her one night, something that she had agreed to.

"Nothing has really changed in the two days we haven't spoke," Steve informed her. "I've been busy just making sure everything is in order. Since New York there's been…well…let's just say opposition to people who are a bit different. S.H.I.E.L.D want the public to make sure that nothing will hurt them again."

"Why would people think you would hurt them?" Rosalie remained slightly confused, her brow furrowing as she spoke and Steve shrugged at hearing her. "I mean, you tried to save them."

"People fear what they don't understand," Steve reminded her. "You know that."

"People didn't always used to be like that," Rosalie responded to him and then shrugged as the waitress delivered their drinks, setting them down in stained white mugs. "I mean," Rosalie continued once the girl had gone, "people used to not understand a lot of things at one time."

"Yes, but those things never really threatened their lives," Steve responded and Rosalie nodded.

"Touché," she declared. "However, I am sure it will just take time for them to understand. You know what I mean? New York was just so big and as much as people are confused, the majority are grateful. I mean, we haven't covered it in the news as much recently, but when it happened…well…no one got in touch to tell us how ungrateful they were."

"Really?" Steve asked, sounding slightly sheepish.

"Of course not!" Rosalie called out loudly, sipping on her coffee as Steve held onto his and she looked to him with a small smile on her face once she had placed the mug back down. "Well, there's always one idiot who opposes, but everyone else was just happy to be alive. They wouldn't have been if it weren't down to you."

Steve did smile softly then, the motion slightly timid as Rosalie nodded gently, knowing full well that someone like Captain America should not be suffering from nerves. He was supposed to be a great leader. He was a historical figure, for heaven's sake. Rosalie sipped on her drink again as Steve peered down into the depths of his.

"I just feel useless," Steve admitted to her. "I wonder about how many others are out there…like us…have powers. I don't want them to be scared about being themselves. I think I can help them, but I'm locked away in that building and I can't do anything."

"Who's to say you haven't done something?" Rosalie wondered from him. "You know, they might be sat at home and feel better knowing that they aren't alone now. I don't know…I just think that, out of anyone in Washington, hell, the world," Steve chuckled at her as she continued, "you should not be the one to feel useless."

"Thanks," Steve whispered. "I'm sorry. I know I sound all whiney-"

"-Hey, don't worry about," Rosalie brushed off. "Where would we be if we couldn't have a little moan every now and then. Honestly, it's all that I do, Steve. You'll soon notice it."

"Really?" Steve arched a brow. "You hardly ever complain to me."

"Well, maybe that's because I don't want to spend all of my time complaining. I reserve that for work. If you want to hear me moan then come into my work…I either complain or act like a bitch, but that's to Mike and he deserves it."

"Is he the one on the same desk as you?" Steve asked and Rosalie nodded, sipping on her drink once more.

"Yeah," she answered. "He keeps making snide digs about how I couldn't secure an exclusive interview with Captain America. I've completely hit that idea on the head, in case you were wondering. I told Marina that there was no way I was going to use you."

"How did she take it?" Steve asked.

Rosalie scoffed. "You don't want to know," Rosalie admitted to him. "Let's just say that for the next few months I'm the one who has to answer the phones when no one wants to deal with sales people or PRs."

"Sounds rough," Steve informed her, not entirely certain what she was on about, but he suspected it sounded bad.

"I'll manage," Rosalie promised him. "Besides, it was worth it…the thought of hurting you…wasn't one that I wanted to entertain."

"I must be special," Steve said, his tone joking as Rosalie nodded, looking more serious as she spoke.

"Maybe."

…

"You've been hung up over this girl for the past…what…three months?"

Steve rolled his eyes as he listened to Sam speak to him. They were both sat on a bench in the park, looking over to the Capitol building. Steve had been running that morning and had lapped Sam Wilson only four times. Sam was sweating profusely, the beads of it rolling down his forehead as he leant forward, his head drooping between his legs. Steve was sat up, leant back against the bench casually as he spoke to Sam.

He had lapped the man multiple times in the past and, finally, they had spoken a few months ago. Sam was a veteran who had returned home after serving his time. Steve instantly felt some kind of connection with him. He was a man who felt lost, just as Steve did. They seemed to connect instantly and Steve was always asking Sam for advice about the modern world.

"Hung up?" Steve asked and Sam rolled his eyes.

"Crushing," Sam clarified. "She is all you talk about…Rosalie this…Rosalie that…I mean, I get it, man. I've had that feeling before and, in my experience, if you don't do anything about it then someone else will. You need to talk to her."

"I don't know," Steve mumbled, his hand scratching his neck. "She's a busy woman. She's always working and she's probably not looking for anything. I mean, I can't be looking for something, can I? I have a dangerous job."

"Yeah," Sam scoffed, "pushing paper in that building must be mega dangerous. You haven't been in the field since New York. Who's to say that you're going to end up there again? I think you're looking for excuses when you don't need to."

"What do you mean?"

Sam rolled his eyes and gave Steve a look that asked him if he was being serious. But judging from the confusion on the blonde's face, he was being serious.

"You're hot, you've got abs made of rock, you're quite fun to be with when you're not broody and you're kind," Sam said. "I mean, I can continue if you want, Mr Insecurity."

"No, you're alright," Steve chuckled. "I got it."

"Good," Sam declared, "because if you don't ask her out then I'll ask her out for you like we're in high school. Trust me, if she's spending this much time with you then she likes you. Unless you're like…blackmailing her?"

"Funny," Steve said, the sarcasm dripping from him as Sam held his hands up in defence.

Looking across the park, Steve sat up straighter than usual as he saw her. She was walking down the path, her cell stuck to her ear. The blazer she wore sat on her shoulders and Steve wondered if she was chilly in the cool autumn breeze. Her hair blew behind her shoulders while her satchel swung on one shoulder against her hip. She was looking straight ahead, clearly engrossed in her conversation on her cell.

Following the line of vision that Steve had, Sam arched a brow before nudging his friend in the stomach. "Is that her?"

"Yeah," Steve admitted. "Rosalie."

"Go to her," Sam continued to push him.

"She'll be on her way to a conference or something," Steve shrugged. "She'll be working. I don't want to distract her. She's probably got something going on."

Sam stood then, running backwards as Steve stood too. "If you don't get to her then I'll go and speak to her for you."

"Don't you dare," Steve warned him, catching up with him in a second. "Besides, I could lap you twice and still get to her first."

"Now that was just mean," Sam called after him as Steve chuckled and jogged to catch up with Rosalie.

Thankfully, she had just finished her conversation on the cell, dropping it into her satchel before searching for her pass to the White House. She grabbed it out and draped it round her neck before she heard him next to her. She startled for a second, her hand moving to her chest as Steve smiled.

"Sorry," he offered to her. "I saw you on your way up here and I thought that I'd come and say hello."

"On a run again?" she asked him, taking in his attire.

"You know me," Steve shrugged. "Anyway, I was wondering what you were doing tonight? I know this nice little Italian and it would make a change to the usual diners we meet in."

"Tonight?" Rosalie asked from him as her cell began to ring again. Fishing around in her bag, she searched for it as Steve waited for her to answer his question. He felt himself grow slightly nervous, wondering if he had gone too far. Was dinner too much? He had offered to cook for her once before so it couldn't have been too bad.

"I'm almost there, Marina," Rosalie snapped into her phone. "Yes…no…I know Connor will be there…I'll stay behind and file the copy on my laptop so you get it first…yes…no…I think it might be about the upcoming state visit to England. Yeah, got it."

Ending the call, Rosalie looked back to Steve. "Sorry," she said. "Dinner tonight sounds perfect. I'm working until six so do you want me to meet you at the restaurant straight after?"

"I'll meet you outside of work," Steve said with a small nod. "Anyway, I'll let you go. Seems like you're busy."

"It's hectic," she admitted. "Anyway, I'm sorry we couldn't chat longer. I'll see you in a few hours."

"Of course," Steve said as her cell began to ring again and he watched her go, answering the call as she went.

…

Waiting outside of the Washington Mail office, Steve had to admit that he was impressed. He had changed into jeans and a checked shirt, his usual brown leather jacket on his body as he waited for Rosalie. He stood to the side of the revolving doors so that no body spotted him as they left. Everyone was filing out of the building, discussing things of various importance as Steve waited for her. He checked the watch on his wrist before he heard someone speak.

"Well, well, well," a man made his way over to Steve. "You know, I didn't know if I believed her when she told us, but she was telling the truth. Rosalie Jonson is really seeing Captain America."

"Oh, no," Steve began to speak, shaking his head back and forth. "Nothing is…well…going on…"

"No?" the man asked. "That's weird because I swear Rosalie has gone soft. She told Marina she refused to write even one thousand words about you from her perspective. Do you know what Rosalie would usually do for a story like that?"

"No," Steve responded, his gaze fixed on the man who was raking his hand through his black locks, pushing them back on his head while his eyes glimmered with mischief. "Well, I guess she's just being kind."

"Rosalie Jonson is not kind," the man replied. "Trust me, she's a cold hearted bitch who will do anything she can to get the upper hand."

"I'm sorry," Steve said, clearly growing irate with the man before him. "But how do you know Rosalie?"

"I work with her," he answered. "Mike Davidson."

He held his hand out and Steve shook it with hesitation. He didn't particularly want to, but he was not intending to start anything outside of where Rosalie worked. He did not want to cause a fuss for her.

"Well, Mike," Steve said in a low voice, "Rosalie and I are friends. Besides, I don't think it is particularly nice of you to speak in such a tone towards her."

"Yeah, well, she's said plenty of worse things to me," Mike mused and shrugged, adjusting his messenger bag on his shoulder as Steve tried to stop himself from rolling his eyes at listening to the man. "Anyway, you should stay away from her. She'll eat you up and destroy you eventually. She'll write one of those stories about you one day."

"I don't think so," Steve deadpanned.

"Mike, what the hell are you doing?"

Rosalie let her voice turn shrill as soon as she saw Mike stood opposite Steve. She pushed the revolving door behind her before storming over to the two men. The blazer on her body slipped down her arm due to her haste and she looked to Mike.

"Nothing," Mike said defensively. "I was just warning your little boyfriend here about you and how you can be, you know, Rosalie, kill for a story…sleep your way to the top. You remember what happened with Jacob, right?"

Steve's brows furrowed as Rosalie shook her head. "You have no right to bring him up."

"Touchy," Mike chuckled. "Don't worry, Rosalie, I know that Steve is different, right? That is until you want that exclusive scoop and decide to write about him."

"Get lost, Mike," she demanded from him. "Get lost and shut up."

"Don't worry," Mike promised her. "Your secrets are safe with me. No wonder Jacob left you…you're just cold."

Rosalie didn't have a smart response as she watched Mike walk off down the street. Steve remained stood behind her as she felt herself grow with worry. She did her best not to seem too bothered by what she had just heard. How dare he bring up Jacob in front of Steve? But Mike knew. He knew just how to push Rosalie's buttons.

"He's rather rude," Steve said. "Are you okay, Rosalie?"

"Fine," Rosalie said, lying as she turned to look back at Steve. "Whatever he told you…"

"Hey," Steve said, sensing the panic in her voice. "Everything he said has been forgotten. Let's just go and get dinner."

"Good idea," Rosalie said.

Steve felt her take hold of his arm before they moved off, but Steve's mind was still reeling as he wondered exactly who this Jacob man was.

…

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	6. Chapter 6

Rosalie knew that there was some kind of atmosphere between her and Steve that evening as they sat around the small table in the secluded booth in the restaurant. Rosalie had picked up a breadstick and was chewing on the ends of it while Steve held a bottle of beer in his fingertips, his gaze set on the white tablecloth as he continued to think about what Mike had just said to him and Rosalie.

Wrapping her mouth around the breadstick, Rosalie took a bit and chewed delicately before dipping the breadstick into the fonduta in front of her. She sighed once and nodded, drawing Steve's attention to her as she finished her breadstick and wiped her hands together.

"You want to know about Jacob?" she asked him and Steve shrugged his shoulders at hearing her, placing his beer down as she took hold of her wine glass, swirling the red liquid around a few times.

"No," Steve told her, knowing it was a slight lie. "I mean; I have no right to pry into your business. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't intrigued…"

Rosalie nodded her head slowly and her demeanour changed. Gone was the confident woman who usually sat in front of Steve. Instead it was difficult for Steve to look at her. She was looking down to her lap, her forehead wrinkled with worry and her eyes closed. Was this too much for her? Should he keep quiet? He suspected it was best to keep silent and let her speak.

"Jacob Burnton was a candidate who was running for Congress," Rosalie said. "I met him when I was interviewing him…a simple getting to know you piece. You know, like what he hoped to achieve and everything. I was still in New York at the Mail there when I did it."

Steve nodded and Rosalie sipped on her wine before placing the glass down, letting her hand sit on the rim of it while Steve studied her.

"He asked me out and I knew I should have said no, but it was just a drink. It was just a drink and I thought that it would be harmless. I never imagined we'd end up dating," Rosalie scoffed and shook her head back and forth. "He used to joke about these things, you know, about how a politician and a journalist were a dangerous combination together. I never took him seriously. I always thought he was having a laugh."

It took another moment before she inhaled a breath. "Anyway, he won his seat in Congress and he was suddenly too busy to see me…but…God…it was so stupid, Steve and I was so young. I was so young and I had just started in the business, but he told me it was over. He told me that he was leaving her, but it was all a lie. Everything he said had been a lie."

It was then when Steve knew exactly what she was talking about. It all made perfect sense to him then. All of it fell into place and he felt his eyes go wide as Rosalie shook her head, moving the tips of her fingers to the corner of her eyes, prodding at them.

"I knew he was married," Rosalie said, her voice stern and harsh before she turned to look to Steve, sensing that there was some form of disapproving stare. "I knew he was married and I knew it was wrong, but he told me that their marriage was over. He said that he had moved out…left her…that he was filing for a divorce."

"And he lied?" Steve guessed and Rosalie chuckled, the sound dark and low as she shrugged.

"Pretty obvious, huh?" she suggested and Steve shrugged back. "The worst part was that he used to go out with his wife to galas and rallies. He used to claim it was all just a show for the press. He told me it meant nothing and he was just putting on a brave face. The problem was that I believed him. I mean; I'd never been in love before. I thought he was telling me the truth. Turns out he lost both me and his wife when it all came out."

"People found out?" Steve scoffed, his eyes widening as Rosalie nodded.

"More like the entire country," she corrected him. "Some paparazzi guy caught us outside of his second apartment in the City. It all went to shit from there…newspaper articles on me…the other woman who sought to wreck his marriage…the bitch who couldn't help herself…and no one wanted to know anything but what they were being told. No one knew what really happened. No one understood. Anyway, Jacob went to give an exclusive interview to the Wall Street Journal. He told them he knew that he had made a mistake, but he loved his wife and they would work through it. They would make it work…that I…well…I was just some fling…some girl who meant nothing to him."

"Rosalie," Steve whispered her name softly as he saw the tears begin to fall down her face.

She shook her head and finished drinking her wine before gasping for breath and standing up, grabbing her blazer and slipping it over her blouse. She took hold of her bag, pushing it onto her shoulder before standing on her feet.

"I can't do this," Rosalie told him, her voice full of honesty as she left without a second glance back.

Steve groaned lowly and pushed himself to his feet too, slipping his hands into the back pocket of his trousers and pulling his wallet from it. He dropped a twenty onto the table, despite the fact they hadn't had chance to order anything yet. He caught up with Rosalie on the sidewalk, jogging to make sure he didn't lose her.

"Rosalie, just wait a minute," Steve implored from her, but she simply kept on running from him, her body unable to stop. She needed to get away from Steve. She needed to get away from everything.

"Rosalie," Steve tried her name again.

"Don't," Rosalie demanded from him. "Don't ask me to stop. You shouldn't…if anyone knows…if you're seen with me…then the same thing could happen again. I don't want that, Steve. I don't want that for you."

"For me?" Steve asked her, stopping as she moved one step in front. She turned her head over her shoulder to look to him, her eyes still red and puffy as Steve shook his head to her. "Rosalie, I'm not worried about me."

"Well you should be," she retorted, her voice accusatory as she spoke and Steve chuckled, moving closer to her and daring to move his hand to her shoulder.

"So you tell me all of that…all of those things…and you're worried about me?"

"Of course I am," Rosalie responded. "I've been stupid. I know that I have. If anyone finds out that you're Captain America and…well…friends with me…they'll find out about my past and your name…the virtuous Captain America would be dragged through the mud."

"I don't care," Steve told her. "Rosalie, what happened is in the past. What you did was back then."

"But I still did it," Rosalie reminded him. "I should have known better. I should have never have done what I did."

"Perhaps not," Steve agreed. "But that doesn't mean that you deserve to be treated as you were. Why did you not try to tell anyone the truth?"

"I did," she protested. "But no one was interested, Steve. Why would they be? If I tried to say anything then I would just be a lying or jealous whore according to Jacob. It was his word against mine and…I didn't want to set the record straight. I wanted it all to blow over. I left New York for Washington, but everyone knew. I had to work for over two years before anyone forgot about Jacob."

"Rosalie, you know that this changes nothing," Steve promised her and she shook her head.

"It should do," she responded to him and began to walk again, having clearly calmed down as Steve wandered beside her on the empty sidewalk. "Steve, I slept with a married man."

"You didn't think he was married, did you?" Steve responded to her.

"I knew he was, but I thought that he was separated," Rosalie continued. "He always told me that he was-"

"-Then he's the liar," Steve interrupted her. "Rosalie, while I do not condone engaging in relations with a married man, nor do I truly understand divorce…but…I understand lies. I understand liars and everything about them. As far as I can see, you were in love with him and he lied to you."

"Stop it," Rosalie whispered, her voice a plea. "You don't deserve to show me any sympathy."

"I'm not," Steve told her, "but I am showing you that I understand. You can't punish yourself forever. Trust me, I would know about trying to do that."

Rosalie arched a brow and Steve shook his head. He looked down to the pavement instead. His mind instantly went back to Peggy and he did his best not to let tears form in his eyes, despite wanting nothing more than to sob at the memory. He had promised her that he would come back. He had promised her and he had failed. It still made him feel horrific.

"But you never wrecked a marriage," Rosalie said, sensing that Steve had no intent to speak, seemingly too wrapped up in his own thoughts. "Steve, if anyone ever knew about us being friends then that would be it for you…and if they knew you were Captain America…because, trust me, that costume isn't the best disguise."

Steve did chuckle at that, shaking his head back and forth as Rosalie shrugged her shoulders and began to back away from Steve again.

"You're better off without me," she told him and this time Steve didn't move, knowing that wasn't what she wanted as she rushed back. "Everyone is in the end."

He wanted to chase after her. He wanted to tell her that he didn't care about all of that in the past. He wanted to do it more than anything, but he didn't. He stood where he was, watching her figure retreat into the distance as he considered what had just happened between the pair of them. He knew what he wanted, and what he wanted was not to give her up. He just had to convince her.

…

She could hardly function at work the next day. She was in on the early shift, meaning that she could leave at three instead of six. But she couldn't focus on anything but Steve and what she had told him last night. Everything she had said had brought back up the memories she had wanted to bury. Jacob. Whenever she closed her eyes she could picture him back in her apartment. He would always be there, telling her what she wanted to hear.

New York had ruined her thanks to him. Escaping it had been the best thing for her. Her reputation had followed her to Washington, but no one really said anything about it. They all chose to keep quiet, silently judging her. But everyone in Washington had a past too so that made her feel better about things. No one in DC was squeaky clean.

It was lunchtime when Mike returned to work, covering the late shift that day. Rosalie peered him in her view as he made his way to the kitchen, sipping on his latte and holding his purchased lunch in a brown bag. Moving with haste, she followed him into the kitchen, slamming the door shut behind her and causing him to jump.

"You're a piece of work, you know that, Davidson?" Rosalie hissed at him and Mike simply chuckled, placing his food and drink on the side before leaning against the surface of the worktop.

"He could have found out anytime," Mike rolled his eyes, "about your lurid affair with a politician. The details published were incredible…apparently a sex tape could be leaked one day, do you know that?"

Rosalie felt her cheeks turn red and she moved with haste, grabbing hold of Mike by the shoulders and pushing him against the fridge door. He swore under his breath, completely taken by Rosalie's sudden strength as he moved his hands to her arms and pushed her from him, watching her almost stumbled backwards in the heels that she wore.

"Don't touch me," Mike snarled at her.

"Don't you dare talk to me like that," Rosalie demanded from him. "You're an arsehole, Mike, do you know that?"

"What?" Mike flapped his arms by his side. "I'm not the one who put out for some sleazy politician. You want someone to blame all your problems on, Rosalie? Why don't you try yourself? Or better yet, why don't you try your new boyfriend?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Rosalie snapped at him and Mike chuckled, rolling his eyes, his arms moving over his chest.

"You know, I bet the showbiz desk would have a field day if they knew the mistress of one of New York's most senior politicians was now sleeping with Captain America."

"You have no evidence of that," Rosalie hissed at him. "Besides, that is a load of crap. I'm not sleeping with Steve…we're not even together…"

"Whatever," Mike rolled his eyes at her and picked his latte back up before brushing past her. "Who says that news has to be real these days anyway?"

Rosalie let her mouth hang open as Mike left her alone in the kitchen and she felt her throat clench. She didn't need this. She certainly didn't need it from Mike either. But it wasn't her she was thinking of. It was Steve.

…

Walking up to her apartment, Rosalie twirled her keys in her fingertips as she kept her eyes on the floor, her sunglasses covering her eyes even though it was no longer sunny indoors. She needed something to cover her red rimmed eyes after finishing her shift and talking to Marina that afternoon. She had explained everything to her and Marina had promised to keep Mike off of her back, but that didn't stop him from tipping anyone else off. The Washington Mail might not post anything, but that couldn't stop other media outlets.

Rosalie felt sick at the thought. She should never have entertained the notion of being friends with Steve; not with her history. She scoffed. Was she even friends with Steve? She couldn't deny the way she felt whenever she looked at him. She couldn't help but think of how nice it might feel to shuffle closer to him whenever they sat together. She doubted he felt the same, however. He was Captain America. He could have anyone he wanted.

But that didn't explain why he was sat outside her apartment when she returned home that night.

She startled at the sight of him on the floor, his back against the wall, one leg bent near his chin and the other stretched in front of him. He stood as soon as he saw her, noticing how her eyes seemed puffy when she took off her sunglasses and folded them into her pocket.

"You shouldn't be here," Rosalie scolded him softly and he shook his head.

"No," he said. "I should be and you need to know something. You need to know that you're not the only one in this city wracked with guilt, because I know how it feels. I know how it feels to love someone and lose them. I know how it feels to have them snatched from you…even though you have done nothing but love them…and longed for them…"

"Come in," Rosalie said, struggling for words as she unlocked the door to her apartment and Steve followed her inside, closing the door behind him and removing his leather jacket.

He took a sharp breath and prepared to tell her what he wanted to tell her. She said nothing for a couple of moments and he did his best to consider his words.

"When I flew that ship into the sea I knew what I was doing," Steve said, "but I didn't know what I would do to the people I left behind…the people I left behind…people like Peggy."

"Peggy Carter?" Rosalie questioned and Steve furrowed his brow in confusion. "We studied her in history," Rosalie answered his unasked question.

"Yeah…weird…" Steve mumbled. "Anyway, Peggy had been nothing but kind to me. She liked me even when I was just Steve Rogers…no one…and then I changed and she helped me through it. She was always there…always so strong…and we…we grew close."

"You loved her," Rosalie said with an understanding look as she perched on the arm of her sofa and Steve remained stood, nodding his head.

"I think so," he admitted, "not that I had a chance to tell her. I crashed before I could say anything. She moved on…rightfully so…but I never had the chance to tell her how I really felt. I never told her how she was the only woman I'd cared for or take her dancing like I'd promised…I never went back to her…"

"But that is not your fault," Rosalie promised him. "None of that is your fault, Steve. What you did was selfless-"

"-Then why do I feel selfish?" Steve enquired from her and she bit her tongue as he watched her, hoping that she held the answers. "I know that Peggy managed without me. I never doubted it, but a part of me feels like I could have done something differently. I could have done something to stop the crash and save everyone."

"You couldn't," Rosalie promised him. "You did everything you could and Peggy would have known that. You…there's not a bad bone in your body, Steve Rogers. Everything about you is good…selfless…"

"Impossible," Steve told her, "because I feel some guilt, Rosalie…but that's not why I came here. I didn't want to come here to talk about my feelings. I wanted to tell you that I know what it is like to love and lose someone, despite the circumstances."

Nodding, Rosalie didn't know what to do as Steve moved to sit on her sofa. She swivelled around on the arm so that she could look at him, his eyes shut and his head tilted back as though the weight had been lifted from him by telling her this information.

"I don't know what to say," Rosalie muttered and Steve chuckled.

"I'm not exactly good at this stuff," Steve said. "I'm a bit out of practice."

"Yeah, living on ice can diminish your social skills," Rosalie jested and Steve chuckled before watching her sit next to him, kicking her shoes from her feet and moving her legs to her chest, hugging them tightly.

"You're not a bad person," Steve promised her, "and I don't care what anyone says. You're my friend, Rosalie, and friends don't abandon friends."

"Thanks," Rosalie managed to say. "For everything, really. You're sort of the only friend I have in this city."

"Same, really," Steve admitted. "So you can bet your life on it that I'm not going anywhere."

Rosalie smiled to him and moved to peck him softly on the cheek before sitting back down again, feeling slightly more content that Steve was back by her side.

…

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	7. Chapter 7

Rosalie had said that there would be no option for her to write anything on Captain America. Mike knew that Rosalie was seeing Captain America, but he also knew that the man was called Steve. Rosalie swore that he was looking into Captain America himself, despite the fact that he had other work to do.

The news that Rosalie would not write anything on the Cap had not gone down too well. She had been reminded that her career in Washington D.C. had only gone ahead because she was a good journalist, but if she didn't do her job then she could be in trouble. But Rosalie wasn't backing down. She wasn't going to betray Steve.

She couldn't do that to him because, for the first time in a while, she knew she had a conscience. Every time she had slept with Jacob, she had never felt any guilt. She never felt anything, but then again, she didn't know he was married. Steve had looked at her with a different stare recently and she wondered if he was still disgusted with what she had done.

Steve was from an era where marriage was respected more than it was today. He was from an age when a man and a woman laid together after marriage. She had no doubt that he was struggling to adapt to this new era, but she had sworn that he was watching her differently.

He would often meet her after work. They would either go back to his apartment or hers, but if they went to his then he would insist on walking her home after work. She never minded too much, enjoying his company in the dark of the night, despite the fact that the city was still full of people.

"I've been thinking," Rosalie said one evening as they sat together in her apartment, both of them holding onto a drink. Steve kept the bottle of beer in his hands, draping it in between his legs as Rosalie curled into a ball, holding the glass of wine in her fingertips.

"What about?" Steve asked and she shrugged at him.

"Just about everything," she said. "I mean, we spend a lot of time together, don't we? And…just…I don't know. After everything I told you I still find it odd that you'd want to spend time with me."

Steve chuckled, moving a hand to scratch the back of his neck before he looked across to her once more. "I thought we had established that I don't care about what you did because it is in the past?"

She shrugged at hearing him before uncurling herself from her position and then moving into the kitchen, grabbing the bottle of wine from the worktop and pouring herself another drink. She grabbed a beer from the fridge, popping the lid off and then putting it on the coffee table once she returned with her wine.

"I know," she said. "It's just that…I guess I don't believe someone like you would want to be friends with someone like me."

Steve chuckled at hearing her, finishing off the bottle of beer in his hands and then placing it down and reaching for the fresh one. He took a swig of it before leaning back on the sofa, folding one leg over the other.

"I'll always be your friend," Steve said. "Besides, you need someone to moan to about Mike, don't you?"

Rosalie rolled her eyes at the mention of him, sipping on her wine hastily as she pointed to Steve. "That is very good," Rosalie said, "because I caught him at work today doing research on you. I think he is trying to pick up the story I refused to write."

"You're still refusing to write it, huh?" Steve asked and Rosalie nodded.

"Of course I am," she said, her voice harsh and low as though she couldn't believe Steve had questioned her on that matter. "Why would a friend write a story about another friend? I don't want to make this anymore difficult for you than it has been."

"I know," Steve said, holding a hand up in defence. "I trust you, Rose."

"You shouldn't," Rosalie said, looking away from him and peering down into her lap as Steve dared to shift closer to her, his hand going to her arm and holding it softly before she peered over to him, gulping once at the contact they had made. She said nothing for a few brief moments before she felt Steve move his hand to her hair, his fingers running through it and tickling her scalp.

"You're one of the few people I do trust," Steve said, his voice low as Rosalie offered him a shy smile, a look on her face that Steve hadn't seen before as he kept on moving his hands in her hair. "You're the only one who I have even told about Peggy…one of the few who knows who I am…and you haven't ran for the hills yet."

She scoffed at that. "You're not a bad person, Steve."

"Neither are you," Steve responded. "You just have some baggage…like I do."

"Then we make the perfect pair," Rosalie scoffed, sipping on her wine as Steve removed his hands from her hair, moving his fingers down her cheek as he watched her face contort with wonder at his movements.

He seemed bolder than usual, but she saw that his cheeks were turning red, almost as though he was still nervous about the movements he was making. He dared to shift closer to her as he felt her hand go to his arm, her warm fingers wrapping are his forearm.

"What are you doing?" Rosalie asked, feeling her breathing becoming shallower as she found herself staring at his mouth, unable to look away as Steve looked to her eyes.

"I know we're friends," Steve said, "but there's this guy…Sam…I run with him every morning and he told me that I should just be honest with you and tell you how I feel, even though I know you can do better-"

"-Don't do this," Rosalie interrupted him, pulling away and coming to her sense as she stood up, placing the wine glass down. Steve looked worried as he saw her move around the sitting room, hands going through her hair. "Whatever it is you think you feel isn't…you don't mean it."

"Don't I?" Steve wondered from her, standing too and placing his beer down, unsure of how confident he was feeling as he watched Rosalie go to peer out of the window, her arms folded and creasing the grey dress she wore on her body. "Rosalie, I haven't stopped thinking about you for months…what is it? Like…five months since we met?"

"I know," Rosalie said. "And I like you too. I like you, Steve…but…whatever you were about to confess, I know-"

"-Then tell me," Steve interrupted, speaking to her harshly. He had learnt his lesson when it came to women and waiting too long. He couldn't do it again. He couldn't let himself do it again. "Tell me that you don't care about me."

"Of course I care about you," she rolled her eyes and Steve moved around the coffee table, taking her arm into his grip. "But I know that if you want someone to…I don't know…"

"I want someone I can trust," Steve told her, his voice honest and raw as he moved his other hand to her cheek, drawing her gaze back to him as she watched him with intrigue. "I want someone I get excited to see…who…whenever I see them I can feel something in my stomach…something that I'm not sure of. I want someone I can laugh with…someone who understands me…"

"And you'll find her," Rosalie promised him, but he shook his head with haste.

"I found her," he declared. "I found her and she is standing right here, but she's too scared to admit how she feels."

Gulping loudly, Rosalie looked away and moved her own arm to Steve's upper arm, feeling the muscle there as she stepped closer to him, bending her head until her forehead rested against his chest. She said nothing for a few moments, instead feeling Steve drop his spare hand to her other arm.

"After Jacob I never thought that I would love anyone again," she admitted in a whisper. "I never let myself feel that way for anyone, knowing that it was too dangerous. I didn't…I know that you would never hurt me…that doesn't stop me from being scared."

"What he did to you was wrong," Steve told her, "and I would never do that to you. Hurting you…the thought of doing that is impossible to me, Rose. You need to know that."

"I do," she told him honestly, "but I don't want to lose you if we do this. I mean, what if it doesn't work out? What if you get to realise you don't like me?"

Steve snorted at hearing that, his head shaking back and forth as he moved his hand up her arm to brush her hair from her shoulder, pushing it behind it and then letting the back of his hand go to her neck. He could feel her pulse on his finger and she was definitely feeling something judging from its tempo.

"I don't think that could happen," Steve said. "I've spent all these months with you and never once have I thought that."

"Same," she admitted, her hands moving around as she explained, "about you, that is…I like spending time with you…more than like it, really…and I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel anything…because I do. You're handsome…smart…I mean…you're pretty perfect."

Steve chuckled then, baring his teeth as he continued smiling, his hand still resting on her neck as he saw her close her eyes and move her gaze upwards to look at him, searching his blue eyed stare. Steve took another second before he let his fingers go back to her hair, sweeping along the length of it down her back.

"I'm not perfect," Steve said. "But no one is."

"True," she said. "But…if this doesn't work…I don't want to lose you."

Steve bent down slightly to her height, his hands going to her cheeks and holding them softly and she wondered where he had gotten this confidence. He always seemed rather shy when it came to women. She had seen him struggle with the checkout girl at the supermarket whenever she flirted with him. He would always tell her to keep quiet when she mocked him over it.

"You won't," he told me. "I just know that I keep struggling to be your friend without feeling the need to…I don't know…be something more."

"This is so surreal," she laughed more to herself than at him as she looked around. "Captain America admitting he has a crush on me."

Steve chuckled, unsure of what to say to that. Instead all he could do was remain planted to the ground as he felt her suddenly move, her hands going to cup his cheeks and hold them gently in her grip as she planted her mouth on top of his. It was then when he knew just how right it felt. He was hesitant at first, letting her take the lead, but he soon snapped out of that, his hands going to hold her waist lightly as he closed his eyes and relished the feeling.

She broke away from him after a moment, pressing her forehead to his. "We're definitely beyond friends now," she said and Steve chuckled, moving to brush her hair with his hand once more.

"I would agree with that."


	8. Chapter 8

Rosalie had done her best not to look too downcast as Steve cancelled their dinner plans for that evening. She had been looking forward to that dinner for the entire week. Steve had found himself busy with work recently, stressing himself out over diplomatic missions that had to be carried out. Rosalie had supported him, of course, telling him that she didn't mind when he cancelled their plans.

But, truthfully, she was crushed. She wanted to spend time with Steve. She enjoyed being in his company, but everything seemed to be going wrong. She didn't know how to tell him that her time at work was being made horrid by the fact that Mike was relentlessly mocking her and she had Marina breathing down her neck.

She still refused to write the story and her job was on the line. They had threatened to send someone out to find Captain America themselves and write the piece. But Rosalie had tried to remind them of their ethical duty to do the right thing. Mike had then asked her where her ethics had been when she had slept with a married politician. Rosalie had held herself proud, refusing to let Mike see her sob openly. She refused to let him gain the upper hand.

Just because she would not write a story on Captain America that did not mean that she was a bad journalist. She was a bloody good journalist. She just had to find a way to prove it and keep her job safe. She wanted to be with Steve more than anything at that moment in time.

Steve always told her what she wanted to hear. He always had the comforting words that she needed. He was good for her. She only hoped that she was good for him.

…

Steve felt annoyed more than anything. He wanted to go on the date with Rosalie. He had enjoyed seeing her and talking about things other than work. They had talked about modern technology and she had even bought him first ever DVD box set. Steve had been confused for a few moments, wondering exactly what she wanted him to watch. Apparently there were aliens and spaceships. He didn't know if it sounded like his cup of tea, but he knew that if he could watch it with Rosalie then it would be worth it.

"You look annoyed."

Steve was stood in the office he worked out of in SHIELD, looking down at paperwork. Apparently a drug smuggler off the coast of Brazil was smuggling more than drugs. There were a range of weapons and Steve was being sent in to deal with the mess.

"Do I?" Steve wondered, watching as Natasha Romanoff made her presence known, settling down at the table he was working on.

"Something to do with a little journalist?" she teased him and Steve let his lips quirk upwards at hearing her.

"That obvious, huh?" he wondered form her and Natasha shrugged her shoulders to him.

"I can read people," Natasha shrugged nonchalantly. "So what? Is this the fourth time you've had to cancel on her?"

"Fifth," Steve corrected her with a sigh, shutting the file he had been reading and sliding it into the middle of the table as Natasha took hold of it and flicked through the pages, a hand moving through her short red hair as she nodded her head.

"I can't blame you for being annoyed," she declared. "You have to substitute a night in some swanky restaurant for some self-entitled arms dealer."

"We weren't going to a swanky restaurant," Steve declared, letting his fingers run through his cropped blonde hair as he then moved to tug at the tight blue top he was hearing. "Rosalie doesn't do swanky restaurants. She likes fast food and movies…I mean…I thought that she would like expensive restaurants, but she doesn't."

"So you've gotten to know her quite well," Natasha mused. "I take it you know about her past?"

Steve nodded. "How do you know?"

"Come on, Cap," she said in jest with him as she moved to stand up, tossing the folder back to the table as she wandered around the room, her hands behind her back. "It's my duty to do my research. Besides, anyone you get involved with needs to be checked out. You're too trusting to see the worst in people."

"Well, she openly told me everything," Steve said, shrugging it off as he swung around in his chair and watched Natasha stand by the window. "What that guy did to her was horrible, Natasha. He told her that he was separated from his wife."

"Hey, I don't doubt it," Natasha said, sensing that there was an edge to Steve's tone. Clearly he was very defensive over Rosalie Jonson. "I just wanted to make sure you knew."

"I know," Steve said, hoping that would end the conversation. "I know."

…

Rosalie was relieved when Steve returned back to Washington DC. She had gone out of her way to make dinner that evening, making sure he promised that he wouldn't cancel on her. She had picked up ingredients on her way home from work alongside beers and a bottle of wine. She had cheated, however, deciding to buy a cheesecake from her favourite bakery. Storing it in the fridge, she placed the beers in there with the wine and set about preparing the spaghetti bolognaise she was going to make that evening.

She didn't bother getting changed from her fitted blue dress, but she did shrug out of her blazer and slip her heels off. Tugging her hair from its ponytail, she slipped the bobble around her wrist before she heard a knock at the door. Moving with haste as she finished giving the bolognaise a stir, she pulled the door open to see Steve standing there.

Smiling widely, she moved with haste, throwing her arms around his neck as Steve chuckled and grabbed hold of her by the waist.

"Thank God you're safe," she mumbled against his shoulder. "Do you know I hardly did any work today. I've been so worried. Are you hurt? Did anything happen?"

Steve felt slightly touched at her worry as she stood aside and let him into the apartment, closing the door and locking it behind him. He was dressed in a checked shirt and beige pants, his leather jacket covering him before he shrugged out of it and Rosalie took it and hung it up on her coatrack.

"Everything went fine," Steve promised her as she went back into the kitchen and he followed her, standing next to her as she stirred the sauce and he let his legs lean against the back of the worktop. "We managed to get all the weapons and put them into storage. Thankfully no one was seriously injured and we caught the guy responsible."

"That's great," Rosalie said to him. "And you're sure that you're okay?"

"I'm fine," Steve assured her once more. "Anyway, what is it you're cooking?"

"Spag bol," she informed him. "I'm hoping it turns out okay. I'm not known for being the best cook. However, I am a gracious host so there are beers in the fridge and I cheated and bought cheesecake for desert."

Steve smiled softly before moving to the fridge and grabbing a beer. He took the bottle of wine in the process and went into her cupboard for a glass. He poured her out a glass of wine, moving to hand it to her as he swigged his beer. She smiled up to him as she took the glass and had a sip.

"So, what's been happening while I've been gone?" Steve asked from her and she bit down on her lip, wondering if she should tell him.

"Just work," she managed to say and Steve sensed the hesitance in her tone.

"Everything alright?" Steve wondered and Rosalie forced herself to nod in his direction and sipped on her wine as Steve watched her intently. "You're a terrible liar."

"Coming from the man who turns beetroot red when he even tells a slight lie," Rosalie scoffed as she placed her wine glass down. Picking up a bit of bolognaise on the spoon, she held it up and moved it over to Steve. "Does this taste alright? If not then I'll just order pizza."

Before Steve could open his mouth to talk, Rosalie had pushed the spoon into his mouth and Steve chewed on the mixture. Nodding his head, he felt the heat in his mouth as he covered his mouth. He watched Rosalie pull the pan from the heat and begin to dish the pasta into the sauce, mixing it together.

"Tastes great," he promised her. "But you're still avoiding the question."

Rosalie shrugged. "I've gone through worse things," she promised him. "I'll get through it."

"What's been happening?" Steve wondered as she finished mixing and began to dish up the meal into bowls.

"You go out and save the world," she informed Steve. "Your job is much more important than mine. It's just that I have an annoying colleague and a boss who I am pretty sure would like to sack me."

She carried the bowls to the table, placing them down as Steve brought over the drinks. She settled down at the table as Steve sat across from her, noticing that she had filled her vase with fresh flowers that she had pushed to the side of the surface. She looked over to Steve who was still looking at her with a worried expression.

"I'll be fine," she promised him.

"Is this because you won't write the story?" he asked from her.

"Yeah," she muttered. "Mainly because I refuse to ask you to do an interview."

"Because you think I would say no?" Steve asked, twirling some spaghetti around his fork and then watching it fall off again as Rosalie shook her head.

"Because I don't want my work impacting on what we have," she told him. "I care for you more than I care for a scoop. You're the only thing that really matters to me, Steve…not credit for a story."

Steve felt himself smile despite the sadness he saw in Rosalie. He watched her twirl her spaghetti onto her fork gracefully before he copied her motions. It was another moment before he went to move, daring to reach over and take hold of her hand as it sat limply on the table.

"Thank you," he told her. "But if you need to do this then I-"

"-No," Rosalie interrupted him. "I know how you are, Steve. You're kind and would do anything for anyone, but I'm not going to let you do this for me. I will find another way."

"I just want to help," Steve informed her. "Besides, if we keep on dating then how long do you think it will be before someone puts us in a newspaper?"

Rosalie shrugged again. "I don't know, Steve. I mean…people know who you are…Steve Rogers is a legend in America, but I've done my best to keep us hidden and private."

"But why should we hide?" Steve asked, chewing down on another forkful of food. "I have already told you that I don't care about your past, Rosalie. I don't want you to feel like you can't be seen in public with me in case someone notices me…or you…"

"We do go out in public," Rosalie defended.

"I know," Steve nodded. "But I just don't want you to be worried about it."

"I am," she informed him in a whisper.

"Well, I'm not," Steve said. "And if someone wants to report that Steve Rogers is dating Rosalie Jonson then let them."

Rosalie bit down on her bottom lip as Steve let his fingers lace through hers and he still sensed the hesitation. He tried to get her to push it aside, but it seemed to be playing on her mind. She took a moment before chewing on her food again while Steve sipped on his beer.

"I just don't want you to regret it," she informed him.

Steve offered her a kind smile. "I think I'm too far gone to regret it, Rosalie," he assured her. "I'm trying to move on with my life…adapt to everything that has happened…and being with you is making it easier. I'm not going to pretend that I don't miss the old days and Peggy…of course I do…but we both need to move on from our past. We can't let it consume us."

Rosalie seemed to understand what he was saying as she placed her fork back down and looked to Steve. "So it's true," she said, "with age comes great wisdom."

"Then I should be exceptionally wise at my age," Steve told her. "But seriously, Rosalie, promise me that you won't let this get you down. And if you need to write the story then write it."

"Not going to happen," she said firmly. "Now eat that up because I bought us the best cheesecake you will ever taste."

Steve smirked at hearing her before nodding his head and grabbing his fork once more.

…

Rosalie couldn't believe what she was seeing. She felt sick as she walked into the office and saw him sat at her desk, holding onto her notebook. Hands balled by her side, she stormed further into the office, dropping her satchel on the floor as she plucked the book from his fingertips.

"What the hell did you think you were doing?" she snapped at him. "That was in my drawer!"

"It wasn't locked, however," Mike protested to her. "And it does make for some interesting reading. Captain America…the nation's sweetheart…now dating Washington DC's very own notorious whore."

Rosalie held the notebook to her chest, her eyes set on Mike.

"You know," he continued. "I had thought that you two were just friends, but clearly there's something more going on. The showbiz desk will have a field day with this information. You got any photos I can put with the story. Perhaps Marina will appreciate my effort? It might not be a interview, but with what I just read there is enough there for some kind of story."

"Back the hell away from me," Rosalie demanded as Mike stood up and looked to her with a glare. "You have nothing to publish."

"I just read all of your thoughts about Captain America," Mike replied. "I have something to publish, believe me. Either I do it or you do it…regardless…you're washed up now."

She shook her head as Mike walked by her.

"Oh, and I made copies of your notebook," he told her. "So I have everything to refer to."

"I swear to God I will sue you if you do anything…publishing with deceitful methods is frowned upon."

"So is hindering the freedom of speech," he responded. "Besides, do you have it in you to sue? I doubt it as it's not my fault you left your notebook lying around. Face it, Rosalie, you did the one thing you should never do in journalism. You let your heart rule over your head."

"That's fine," Rosalie said, "because I quit anyway."

Mike rolled his eyes as she grabbed her bag once more. "You wouldn't dare."

"No?" Rosalie wondered. "Watch me. Tell Marina she will have my resignation within the next two hours."

Storming out of the building, Rosalie took a deep breath once she was outside, her mind wondering exactly what she had done as she pulled her cell out and searched for Steve's number. She needed to talk to him before things escalated.

…

A/N: Quite a few followers, so do let me know if you are reading!


	9. Chapter 9

Steve wondered what exactly was going on as he met Rosalie that evening. She had opened the door to her apartment wide moments after he had knocked on the door. Stepping into the apartment, Steve shrugged out of his leather jacket and laid it down over the back of her sofa as she paced the length of the open planned kitchen, hands running through her hair. Arching a brow, Steve let his hands rest on his hips.

"What is it?" Steve asked.

"Mike," she spat his name out, the venom in her voice obvious as she let her cheeks tinge red with rage. She moved forwards to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of beer out, handing it to Steve. "He found my notebook in my drawer. He looked at everything and he took copies. The things in there…Steve…they were personal…everything in there was personal. There were things about me and things about you. He's going to publish everything. He's going to have the story that he's always wanted: the big scoop."

"Slow down," Steve urged of her, placing the beer down on the worktop as he moved his hands to her shoulders and holding onto them. "What is it you're trying to say?"

"That Mike is going to ruin everything," Rosalie said, her voice low and on the verge of hysteria as she watched Steve, trying to gauge his reaction. "My notebooks had all the things I had written about you. It was like a diary to me, Steve. I wrote everything I felt about you in that. I wrote about you…Peggy…Jacob…"

"How bad is it?" Steve asked and Rosalie shrugged, unsure of what more she could say to him as she moved out from his grip and wandered towards the kitchen once more, hunting for a bottle of wine in her cabinet.

"I don't really know," she admitted. "I never re-read what I put in my diary, but it isn't good. There were things about how I felt about you…like…how I really feel. I don't know what more I can do, Steve. I don't have the money to sue him if he uses it, especially now that I've quit."

"You've quit?" Steve asked, struggling to believe how things had escalated since he last saw her. He shook his head as he took a swig of his beer, downing it with haste before putting it back down.

"Oh yeah," Rosalie said, removing the top from the wine and pouring a glass. "Marina called me as soon as she found out, but I told her that my mind had been made up. I'm not working in the same building as Mike."

"What did she say about him?" he enquired.

"She said that she had told Mike it was wrong to go through my things, but she had been nagging me for months about this piece. Plus she said I shouldn't have left my drawer unlocked. How stupid could I be?"

"You have done nothing wrong," Steve said to her.

"I've done everything wrong," Rosalie said to him. "I should have known what he was like. I just put it in the drawer and forgot to put it in my bag before I went home. I didn't mean to do it. I'm so sorry, Steve."

Steve shook his head, refusing to let her apologise to him. He moved forwards and opened his arms, watching Rosalie place her glass down before stepping into his grip. She held her arms up, her hands pressing against his chest as Steve wrapped his arms tightly around her, his chin coming to rest on the top of her head.

"You have nothing to apologise for," Steve promised her, his voice harsh and full of determination. He took another moment before he ran a large hand down the back of her hair, his palm finally coming to cup the back of her head. "Let them publish what they want, Rosalie. Nothing will change. We can deal with this together."

"But the things in there were so personal," she said, mumbling against his chest that was clad in a checked shirt. "Things about Peggy that you told me in confidence."

"I know," Steve said.

"How can you be so calm about this?" Rosalie wondered, pulling back to peer up to him. "Steve, you should hate me."

Moving his hand around to cup her cheek, his thumb pushed her tears from one of her eyes before moving to the other.

"I could never hate you," Steve informed her. "Rosalie, I cannot hate you for this. You wrote down what you felt and that is all. You did nothing wrong. Mike is the one who is in the wrong. I know about keeping notes and keeping track of your feelings."

Rosalie wondered if this was real. How was he not yelling at her for being so foolish? How could he be so calm? Everything about Steve amazed her. She said nothing for a moment before she blurted out, unable to stop herself;

"I never meant for them to be read," she said. "You need to believe me, Steve. I know that I was tasked with writing a piece on you, but those notes were not for that. I never even wrote anything on you. I had a blank word document that I deleted."

"I believe you," Steve said with haste before she could get herself into a further state. She had her eyes closed as she went back to leaning her forehead against Steve's chest, her hands curled up under her chin as Steve went back to holding her.

"I'm sorry," Rosalie said once more. "I'm so sorry."

"Stop it," Steve tried to soothe her. "Stop it, Rosalie. You have done nothing wrong. Just listen to me, okay? You have done nothing and whatever happens we will face together. I will be with you."

Rosalie said nothing further as Steve felt her body continue to shake. She had her eyes tightly shut, hands over her mouth as she struggled to remain coherent. Steve continued to hold her for a while, knowing that nothing he said to her would appease her. She would not be appeased easily. Rosalie was not one to let things go.

Eventually Steve had managed to guide her to the sofa, letting her collapse against his side, her head on his shoulder as Steve kept one arm around her shoulders and his other hand held both of hers. She had her eyes still closed and Steve was just glad that she had stopped crying.

"Washington DC's very own notorious whore," Rosalie said and Steve felt himself wince. "That is what he called me. That is what they'll call me when they find out."

"That is because they don't know you," Steve said. "I don't know everything about you, but I know that you are better than what you think."

"Am I?" she whispered. "I never feel it."

"Well, you are," he confirmed to her and moved to wipe her hair from her face with his hand as he watched her peer up and towards him. He bent down, tenderly pressing his lips against her forehead. "You have no idea, Rosalie, but I really do not care about what they print. That is all in the past. Peggy…she would understand…besides, no doubt our relationship was already speculated on."

"And I've confirmed it."

"And let people gossip," Steve said. "Let them talk, let them whisper, let them print what they want. You're the only thing I care about right now. You and only you."

Rosalie struggled to believe what she was hearing, but she knew that Steve was not one to hold grudges. He was reasonable and level headed. He thought things through and he saw things logically and pragmatically. In a way, it made her feel something she had not felt in a long time. It made her feel safe. It made her feel safe to know that, when all of this came out, he wouldn't abandon her like Jacob had done.

He wouldn't cast her to the side and tell her never to speak to him again. No. Steve was too nice to do that. She suspected that was why she adored him, and she did adore him. She adored him more than she cared to admit.

"Thank you," Rosalie whispered to him.

Steve smiled down before kissing the top of her head once more and they both settled in silence for the rest of the evening.

…

Taking a deep breath, Rosalie peered out of the window of her apartment the following morning. She held a cup of coffee in her fingertips as she remained dressed in her long plaid pyjamas. Steve had stayed on the sofa the previous night and was dressed in the same clothes he had arrived in. He had informed Rosalie that he had no intention of leaving her alone after she had been so upset.

"There's a few reporters down there," Rosalie said. "I checked my laptop and there is a story about us dating, but nothing too damning."

"That's fine," Steve informed her, coming to stand behind her and handing her a plate of buttered toast. She turned her head over her shoulder to look to him as he passed her the food, offering him a kind smile before leaning up to kiss him on the cheek.

"No doubt they'll be keeping the juicy stuff for later one," Rosalie commented. "It's not too late to get out of this, if you want to?"

Steve shook his head, brow arched as a coy smile played on his face. "Do you not listen to anything I tell you? I'm not interested in that out there."

"I know, I know," Rosalie said, her tone slightly defensive as she managed a small smile for Steve. "But you can understand why I'm so worried, right?"

"Of course," he said, picking up half of the toast he had made her and chewing on it. "But I don't want you to worry. Come on, we're going to spend the day going to the supermarket, grabbing lunch and then coming back here and cooking for the evening."

She agreed with that, eating her half of the toast before Steve placed the plate on the side. He walked back to Rosalie, holding his hand out to her as she took hold of it and stepped closer to him. Steve moved the back of his hand down her cheek, his gaze intense and a smile on his face as he watched her.

"I know that you've been through a lot," Steve said. "And I know that you're scared about them dragging your history back up. They'll drag my history up, but I don't care. The only thing I care about is you, everything else doesn't matter."

"You're right," Rosalie agreed with him. "You tend to have a habit of being right."

"Tend to," he agreed.

…

Rosalie felt some nerves as she kept hold of Steve's hand and both of them left the apartment complex. Steve ignored the few photographers asking questions and Rosalie did the same. It didn't take long before they were away from them and on the streets, roaming among others and hoping no one would notice them.

"That wasn't too bad," Steve said and Rosalie nodded.

"I guess not," she agreed with him. "The worst part about all of this is going to be trying to find a new job. I don't know if I'm going to be entirely accepted at any newspaper after all of this."

"Do you not have another idea of what you might want to do?" Steve wondered from her and she shrugged. "Most people tend to do different jobs, right?"

"Right," Rosalie said. "I guess I never thought about it before. I mean, I've always thought about teaching journalism one day, but I doubt any college would hire me after the scandal. They don't want someone like me teaching the next generation."

"Why not?" Steve wondered, still holding onto her hand as they crossed the road. "Rosalie, you can do anything if you put your mind to it. Plus I think anyone would be lucky to be taught by you."

Rosalie laughed softly as Steve found a place that they usually went to for brunch. He held the door open and let Rosalie walk in first, his hand on the small of her back as she asked for a table for two. Finding a seat in the corner by the window, Rosalie settled down and Steve did the same, peering at the menu.

"Anyway," Rosalie said, wanting to change the topic. "How long are you staying in DC for? I suspect they're already planning to dispatch you somewhere to save the world again."

"I don't know," Steve answered truthfully. "But I did have something that I meant to ask you…I just didn't know how to bring it up."

"Oh yeah?" she wondered.

"It's Tony Stark," Steve said. "He's coming to Washington DC next week for a conference or something and he wants to meet me again. I…well…I was wondering if you would come with me? He said that he'll have Pepper with him."

Rosalie felt her eyes widen at hearing him, but she found herself nodding. "If you want me to," she said to him. "But just how big of a jerk is he really? Or is it all an act?"

Steve's lips quirked as he reached a hand out on the table and she took hold of his fingers.

"It's partly an act," Steve said. "Not all of it though."

…

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	10. Chapter 10

Rosalie was used to writing stories, not used to being the story. Well, that wasn't exactly true. She had been featured in tabloids and magazines following her affair, but she had thought that enough time had passed for people to forget about her. Logging into all of her social media feeds, she shut them straight away as soon as she read some of her notifications. People were judging her and they didn't even know her. People hid behind their keyboards and wrote things about her that they didn't even know.

She had closed the lid of her laptop and tossed it to one side of the sofa. It was the middle of the day and she was bored beyond belief. She knew that she had a job to search for, but she wondered who would even want her? She was damaged goods. A part of her still wanted to teach journalism. She thought about it often, wondering if anyone would take her. Her affair with Jacob had resurfaced in the press and he even had the audacity to say that it was a mistake he was trying to forget when he had been questioned about it on the news the previous evening.

"How long are you going to brood for?"

Steve's voice snapped her out of her daze and she looked to the watch on her wrist. When did it turn six p.m.? Rosalie shrugged her shoulders as Steve took his seat next to her, draping his arm over the back of the sofa as Rosalie brought her knees up to her chest, hooking her arms around them.

"For as long as it takes for all of this to go away," she said to him. "Have you ever logged onto Twitter and seen your name in a hashtag?"

Steve frowned. "I have no idea what you just said."

She let her lips quirk at his innocence. "Never mind," she responded. "Anyway, how was your day at SHIELD?"

Steve chuckled and looked down to his lap as he moved his hand to roam over his chin. "Let's just say I've ruffled a few feathers," he informed her. "Well…the Director isn't exactly happy with my name being in the newspaper. He prefers a quiet life."

"So you're in trouble because of me?"

"No," Steve said with a shake of his head. "Thankfully nothing confidential has been reported on that we do at SHIELD. It all just seems to be…well…my private life."

"That isn't much better," Rosalie informed him. "You do know that you might not be able to escape this, right?"

"It will be yesterday's news eventually, Rosalie," Steve promised her. "They will find the next big scandal to report on and forget that we even exist. You shouldn't let this dictate your life. I'm worried about you, okay?"

"You don't need to worry about me," Rosalie promised him, moving closer to him and taking hold of his hand inside of hers, holding onto it tightly as she rested her cheek against his shoulder. "I'm a big girl, Steve, I can take care of myself."

"Yeah?" Steve asked. "By sitting around in the apartment all day?"

"You don't need to be mean about it," she whispered and Steve shook his head.

"I'm not being mean, Rose," he replied. "I'm trying to get you to see that none of this truly matters. What people write…what they say…who cares? You need to get out there and do exactly what it is that you want to do."

"Right now all I want to do is order pizza, okay?" Rosalie said to him. "Tomorrow I'll start looking for another job, okay? Just give me the night off."

Steve smirked and bent down to kiss the top of her head. "I can do that."

…

Rosalie didn't know how long her and Steve had been sitting at the table in the fancy Italian restaurant for. She was dressed in a knee length black dress while Steve had donned smart pants and a crisp white shirt. She had warned him against wearing white, knowing how if anything spilled then it would stain, but Steve informed her that he was never as messy as she was.

"They're late," Rosalie spoke.

The restaurant was dim with the lighting and composed of small booths to give diner's privacy. It was full and bustling and Rosalie wondered if people were watching her or she was just paranoid. She suspected some of the former but most of the latter. Steve had sat there sipping on his beer as she sipped her white wine. The breadsticks had been left on the table and she had already nibbled two of them out of sheer hunger.

"Tony has a habit of being late," Steve informed her.

"How long have you known him for?"

"Just since New York," Steve shrugged at her. "We keep in contact, but he is busy globe trotting right now with his businesses."

"So weird," Rosalie whispered. "Captain America and Iron Man at dinner…I feel like there should be some kind of joke written about this."

Steve smiled at hearing her and moved his hand to rest on top of hers on the table. Looking down to her, Steve could see the anxiousness in her gaze. She was staring at him and Steve knew exactly what was going on in her mind.

"He is not going to judge you," Steve said. "Tony and Pepper are nice, Rose."

"But they know," Rose said. "I am just saying, Steve, if one of my friends started dating someone like me then I would tell them to back away. I would tell them not to get involved."

"Good job I am not you then," Steve responded. "I know the truth. I know what Jacob did to you. If everyone else would rather believe his side of the story then so be it, but I believe you."

Rosalie honestly felt her stomach warm at hearing him as she moved to kiss him chastely, her hand on his cheek as Steve closed his eyes and relished the feeling of kissing her. He had thought that there was a time when he would never feel like this for anyone. He had been a kid in Brooklyn and no one had paid him any attention. He wondered if Rosalie would have bothered with that guy.

"Not interrupting anything, are we?"

Rosalie and Steve jumped apart and both of them looked to the voice. Slipping into the booth across from them was Tony Stark and Pepper Potts. A part of Rosalie felt like she didn't belong. She had seen both of them grace the covers of magazines with their perfect faces. She didn't gawp, but she did manage to convert her open mouth into a smile.

"Cap, you didn't tell me how stunning she was. Are you sure she isn't out of your league?"

Rosalie suspected this was Tony's way. He always came across as cocky and confident. Steve rolled his eyes and moved one arm to rest behind Rosalie, his palm flat on the velvet material of the seat. He held his hand out flat to introduce the two who had just sat across from them.

"Rosalie, this is Tony Stark, and this is Pepper Potts."

Rosalie reached out to shake Tony's hand and he took hold of it as she did the same for Pepper.

"Tony, Pepper, this is Rosalie."

"Nice to meet you," Pepper spoke. "I've heard a lot about you from Tony."

"All good things contrary to the papers," Tony said and she felt herself wince at hearing him, but she soon regained herself and smiled softly, shrugging her shoulders as Tony continued to speak in a soft voice. "Although Steve here couldn't stop talking about you when I called him. I mean, it was shocking."

"How so?" Rosalie enquired.

"Steve had a cell phone," he responded deadpan and Pepper rolled her eyes but smirked while Rosalie heard Steve chuckle.

"I am getting into technology," Steve responded. "I know how to use a cell and a laptop now."

"Miracle," Tony said. "Anyway, Rosalie, I suspect you're a lot more interesting than the fossil there. So what is it you do?"

"At the moment, I am unemployed," Rosalie spoke. "But I used to be a political journalist…you know…hang around Congress for the inside scoop and roam the Hill looking for congressmen and senators. But maybe it is time for a career change."

"I know exactly how you feel," Pepper spoke to her with a nod of her head. "Sometimes working for Stark Industries is draining, especially with him as a boss."

Steve looked down to Rosalie, moving his arm from behind her as the waiter came to hand them their menus and give Pepper and Tony their drinks. Tony looked to Pepper with an arched brow.

"I'm pretty sure that I'm the best boss you would ever get."

"Coming from the man who hasn't worked for himself," she replied and picked up her gin and tonic, sipping lightly on it. "Anyway, how did you two meet? Steve never said or if he did Tony did not tell me."

Rosalie looked away for a second, slightly embarrassed at the truth. She didn't want people to know that they had met while she had been pursuing a story. She didn't want that to be the way their relationship began. But before she could speak, Steve was already talking.

"I bumped into her," Steve said. "I mean…literally, I bumped into her while I was going for a run. Her bag fell on the floor and I went to pick it up. She knew who I was instantly and…every time someone else has asked me if I am him…Captain America…I always tell them that they must be mistaken, but I told her the truth. I don't know why. I had no indication that I would even see her again, but then I saw her in the Constitution Gardens and I stopped again."

"And what attracted you to dear Steve, Rosalie?" Tony enquired. "I am going to say it wasn't his boyish good looks or chiselled physique gifted from the Greek Gods."

"It was actually gifted by a serum."

"Irrelevant," Tony shot back to Steve before looking to Rosalie and waiting for her to answer.

"His honesty," Rosalie said. "His politeness. He…when I first met him I knew he didn't belong in this town. Trust me, I've been in this game long enough to know that people are not how they seem. People do not do something for nothing. They do not do things out of the goodness of their heart. Steve does…and…to me…that was just refreshing and it put a lot of everything I have done into perspective."

"Like the affair?" Tony wondered and she saw Pepper nudge him in the stomach as Steve glowered at him.

"Tony," he warned him.

"What?" Tony wondered. "It's public knowledge, wonder boy, besides, that exclusive Jacob Burton did with the _Wall Street Journal_ was a load of BS. It was written by a man who was clearly a cheat and knew he had messed up."

Rosalie arched a brow and Tony rolled his eyes.

"I've met guys like him before," Tony waved a hand. "They say something to one girl and then go home to the wife. They're always the ones who do wrong, but always the ones who do not get the same bashing as the other woman."

"Well, I don't think we need to discuss this," Pepper said, forcing herself to smile and Rosalie looked at her for a moment.

"We're not," Tony said. "I'm just saying that I get it. I mean, look at how often I have been crucified by the press."

Pepper scoffed. "Mostly because you deserve it, Tony," she responded. "Anyway, that's in the past."

"I know I messed up," Rosalie declared, unable to hold of her tongue as Steve took hold of her hand inside of his, holding onto it tightly. "I know what I did was wrong and I regret it, honestly I do, but he told me that he was leaving his wife and I believed him. I fell in love with a liar, but I never had to do the things I did."

"You don't need to explain yourself, Rose-"

"-No," Rosalie shook her head at Steve. "I'm not explaining myself. I am just saying what happened. I fell for a married man and made a mistake. Steve knows and for some reason he understands, but I…I wouldn't blame him if he wanted nothing to do with me after what I did and what I have put him through."

"Well, you know how fond we are of Steve," Tony said. "He's our little fossil."

Steve shook his head. "Can you stop calling me a fossil?"

"Just the truth," Tony responded.

"I doubt you can be as fond of him as I am," Rosalie said and Tony smirked. "He's the best thing to have come into my life in a very long time."

"Likewise," Steve responded.

…

Walking back to her apartment, Rosalie kept her arm inside of Steve's as they ambled along the sidewalk after dinner. What had started out rather terse had turned into a pleasant evening. Tony Stark was everything Rosalie had imagined, but Pepper had been charming and dignified.

"I didn't want him to bring all of that stuff up," Steve informed her as he saw the Lincoln Memorial in the distance.

"It's fine," Rosalie said. "I had half expected him to. Besides, he had your best interests at heart. I only hope that I passed the test."

Steve smirked. "I think that you passed," he nodded to her.

"Well, thank you," she said and both of them laughed softly.

Rosalie tossed her head back and Steve looked down to her as they stood at the edge of the sidewalk and waited to cross. Steve continued to watch her, wondering exactly how he could feel so happy in the modern day. It was another moment before they crossed the road and Steve looked to the sky for a moment, his lips still quirked as he vowed to do all he could in his power to keep that feeling.

…

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	11. Chapter 11

Rosalie took a seat at the foot of her bed, yawning loudly as she looked to the TV screen that was sat on her dresser opposite her. She had her arms hooked around her legs as her eyes remained fixated on the screen, her mind going back to that day in New York. The TV screen was showing the horrors of that day as the news anchors discussed what should be done to protect Earth. No one had thought that aliens existed, but now they all knew the truth. Rosalie listened on as someone demanded for all of the Avengers to be held to account and used as an extension of the army.

She scoffed, wondering exactly what Steve would think of that. Steve saw himself as a soldier, yes, but he did not enjoy being controlled. He always liked to think that he was doing the right thing and, for the most part, he usually did. He would be the first to admit that he had made mistakes, but he always tried to do the right thing.

"Why are you hiding in here?" Steve enquired from Rosalie as he wandered into her apartment and found her in the bedroom. Patting the space on the bed next to her, she watched as Steve took his seat on the bed and looked to the TV screen.

He watched the TV screen and listened in on the news show she was watching. It was only when it went to a commercial did she look at him and Steve chuckled, scratching the back of his head.

"Interesting to see what some people think of us," Steve commented.

"It was one person on a panel of five," Rosalie told him, uncurling herself from the ball she had formed and moving to her feet, switching the TV off. "The rest of the country thinks you are all heroes. Don't let one person upset you."

Steve shrugged. "It doesn't bother me," he informed her. "So long as we can protect the earth then we will do just that."

"I know," Rosalie nodded to him. "There are just some people who worry that you may use your powers for…well…something not so good."

Steve shrugged again. "I would never see that happen," he informed her and moved to his feet from her bed. "Anyway, I came here to ask if you wanted to go and get dinner? I'm heading off on a mission tomorrow and I don't know when I will be back."

Rosalie shrugged into a jumper and looked to him, her brow arched. "What kind of mission are we talking about?" she wondered. "The dangerous kind?"

"Perhaps not too dangerous," Steve said to her. "It's part of what I do with S.H.I.E.L.D., you know, keep people safe who struggle to keep themselves safe."

Rosalie felt her lips quirk upwards as she nodded, unable to believe that she was dating someone who was considered a super soldier. Moving towards him, she let her hand move to his forearm, unashamedly feeling the muscle that sat there as Steve looked down to her, his mind whirling as he thought about just how much he adored her.

"Just try to keep yourself safe, okay?" she urged from him and he smiled before bending down to kiss her on the cheek in a very courteous manner. Rosalie felt her cheeks heat up at the motion, knowing full well that she acted like an inexperienced lovestruck teenager whenever she was with Steve.

She always prided herself on being mature and unable to be emotionally vulnerable, but something was different with Steve. Everything was different with Steve. She adored everything about him. How could she not? She only wondered how he could feel the same about someone like her.

"What is the mission?" she asked of him, removing her hand from him as she went to grab her bag from the chair in the corner of her room.

"A lab in Russia has been infiltrated," Steve said to her. "A top secret S.H.I.E.L.D. lab. I'm flying out first thing tomorrow to try and track down who did it and what they stole. At the moment everything has been smashed to bits and it is difficult to tell what is missing."

"Do they have any idea what might have gone missing?"

"There are some theories," Steve nodded at her. "Anyway, I am going with Natasha and some other agents."

"Natasha Romanoff?" she asked from him and Steve nodded. "I knew she was part of the Avengers, but I didn't know she was working for S.H.I.E.L.D. with you."

Steve shrugged as Rosalie flung her bag over her shoulder and picked her keys up from her dresser, holding them in her fingertips as Steve reached out for her hand. She took hold of his fingers in hers, feeling her stomach flip again as the two of them wandered from her flat as Steve spoke to her.

"She's pretty much a free agent," Steve said to her. "She helps out when she needs to help out, but she has been taking some time off since New York."

"Not that I can blame her," Rosalie said, locking her apartment and pocketing her keys in her bag before taking hold of Steve's hand again, wandering towards the stairwell. "You'll let me know how it is going though, right? I mean, I am thinking of how I should really get some more friends because the thought of you leaving for a while is pretty depressing."

"I never knew you cared so much," Steve said jokingly and Rosalie nudged him in the stomach as she kept her hand in his and Steve laughed as they came to the foyer of the apartment block and then stepped outside onto the sidewalk.

"Don't be sarcastic," she mockingly scolded him. "So what do you want to eat?"

"Anything," Steve shrugged. "You know me, I'm not picky."

"And you never put weight on," Rosalie said. "Honestly, I have never seen someone eat so much and still be all muscle and no fat."

Steve's lips quirked. "The perks of being a super soldier," he informed her and they waited to cross the sidewalk. "So how is the job search going?"

"Slow but steady," she responded. "I've applied for a couple of teaching positions so I am hoping that something comes up. You never know."

"That's a more positive attitude than you've had in a while," Steve noted as they began to cross the road and Rosalie glanced over to him.

"I think I have nothing to be sad about anymore," she informed him and Steve wondered if he had anything to do with the way she was feeling. He only hoped that it might be.

…

Sitting next to Natasha on the jet, Steve was wearing his suit already. He was prepared for whatever they might find, but his mind was also elsewhere. His mind was on Rosalie as he did his best not to long to be back in D.C. He wondered what she was doing, but he quickly turned his attention back to the mission as Natasha handed him a tablet. But there was nothing about the mission on it, only a news article about him and Rosalie.

"I mean, she's cute," Natasha commented as Steve rolled his eyes and swiped the article from the screen, unable to speak about host distasteful he found the title. "She's clearly got a bit of a reputation."

"Only because of what he did," Steve said to Natasha who arched her lips.

"Tony said you were protective of her."

"Stark?" he checked from her. "Tony's told you all about her?"

"He said that you and her had dinner with him and Pepper," Natasha nodded. "He also said that she was pretty spritely. Mind you, after reading the articles on her I am not shocked. So what was it, huh? He told her that he was leaving his wife for her?"

"Pretty much."

"And he lied?"

"Yeah," Steve said with a nod of his head.

"Well, he is a man," Natasha responded, folding one leg over the other. "Most of them are known to be compulsive liars. Seems to me that she's the one who has suffered, but her name is still splashed everywhere in the news at the moment."

"Because of me," Steve said with a nod of his head. "If she was dating someone normal then it wouldn't matter."

"But she isn't," Natasha said. "So go on, what is she like? I mean, really, not what the papers say."

Steve shrugged his shoulders. "She's…well…" Steve struggled to think of words, but he soon found them as he ran a hand through his hair. "She's nice, Nat. She's really nice and nothing like they say. She's smart and not afraid to go after what she wants. She's just different to all of the girls I met in the '40s."

Natasha chuckled. "Well, times have changed."

"You can say that again," Steve said with a nod of his head.

"Well, I'm glad you found someone," Natasha said honestly. "I'd always thought that you would have ended up with someone like Bryony in research development."

"Bryony?" Steve questioned.

Natasha rolled her eyes. "You know," she said, "the girl with the blonde hair and blue eyes. She basically looks like you in female version. Skinny…tall…pretends to be shy whenever you're around her and giggles far too much for her own good."

Steve nodded. "I remember," he nodded before thinking to Rosalie. "Yeah, Rose is nothing like that. She doesn't really do the whole shy thing very well."

"Weird," Natasha said. "Anyway, I'm shocked you haven't flown back to London, talking about love."

Steve's brow arched as he looked to Natasha and she watched him back, seeing the confused glance on his face. Did he not know? Had Fury not told him? Judging by the expression on his face, he knew nothing about what had happened. It took a moment before she swallowed, her mouth dry before she spoke in a soft tone.

"Peggy is still alive, Steve," she informed him. "She is in London, but she is still alive."

Steve shook his head. "How? I…I didn't know…I thought that she had died."

"No," Natasha said. "She left S.H.I.E.L.D. a long time ago and no one kept notes on her. She is living in London, but she isn't very well. She's suffering from memory loss and is…she's just old, Steve."

"But alive?"

"But alive," Natasha confirmed, echoing him. "I assumed that you would have known."

Steve nodded, hands holding his thighs. "I do now."

…

Rosalie waited for Steve to return from his trip, wondering what news he would bring to her. She had expected him to talk about the mission, but instead he had broken another bit of news to her. He had told her that he had found out that Peggy Carter was still alive. She was alive and ill. He was sat on the sofa, his hand covering his chin as his mind clearly wandered to her.

Perching next to him, Rosalie moved a hand to his back, letting her palm rest there as Steve looked to her, a sad smile on his face.

"Go to her," she urged him, her voice a whisper. "Go and see her."

"In London?"

"Yes," Rosalie nodded her head. "You want to, Steve. I know that you want to. You are conflicted."

"I...I just don't know what to think," Steve whispered. "Peggy is still alive. She…I know that she won't look anything like the Peggy I knew. She will have changed and I will still be the same. I mean, it must be weird for her if she were to see me. What if it upsets her?"

"Or what if it makes her happy to know that you are alive and well?" Rosalie responded, her smile trying to cheer him up. "Steve, you can try to think of all the reasons why not to see her and convince yourself of those, but deep down, you will never forgive yourself if you do not go."

"And you're okay with me going?" he asked.

"Of course I am," she said to him, rubbing his back before taking his hand. "Steve, you need to go to London."

"Then come with me," Steve urged of her. "Come with me to London."

"Are you sure that is a good idea?" Rosalie wondered.

"I think that I might need you, Rose," Steve admitted to her. "I…I just want you to come with me."

Rosalie didn't push him for more details. Instead she just accepted the fact that he wanted her with him. He wanted her with him and she was more than happy to oblige if she could offer him some form of comfort. It was the least she could do after what he had done for her.

…

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	12. Chapter 12

Rosalie finished packing her suitcase as Steve sat in the chair in the corner of her bedroom. He had his hands covering his stomach, his eyes watching on as Rosalie folded shirts, jeans, skirts and jumpers. She had her large suitcase open on her bed as she dropped multiple things into it. Steve was shocked that she even needed a big suitcase considering they were going for a week. He had managed to pack all of his belongings in a leather duffel bag.

"Do you even have a passport?" Rosalie enquired from him, grabbing hold of her toiletry bag.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. got me one," Steve nodded his head at her. "They also sorted out the flights, visas and everything else. We just need to check in."

"Got it," Rosalie nodded her head. "And what time is the taxi coming?"

"Another ten minutes," Steve said, checking his watch and Rosalie nodded her head.

"I'm nearly ready," she promised him in a hurried voice, closing the suitcase once she had packed her toiletries. "And we're flying from Washington Dulles, right?"

"Correct," Steve said with a nod of his head. "We land in London at six a.m. their time. I'm going to assume you'll end up with jet lag."

"Do you not get jet lagged?" Rosalie wondered from him, zipping the suitcase up and locking it, pocketing the key in her purse. She tossed the purse into her satchel as Steve moved to his feet and took her suitcase, holding it in his hand as though it weighed nothing.

"I doubt it," Steve said. "Super soldier, remember?"

"Difficult to forget when you look like that," Rosalie informed him, slipping her satchel onto her shoulder and then moving with Steve out to the living area. He took hold of his bag in the other hand as Rosalie grabbed her apartment keys.

Locking up her apartment, she nodded to Steve as he gave her a nervous smile. She knew that he was anxious. He was always trying to pretend everything was fine, but Rosalie knew that he wasn't. She managed to grab hold of his arm and squeeze it softly as they made their way down to the street for the journey to London.

…

Rosalie had never experienced anything like London. She thought Washington was busy, but London seemed to be a lot busier. People were rushing everywhere, holding onto their cells and talking or texting. Steve had booked them into a hotel near South Kensington in an area near where Peggy was. Peggy was currently living in an assisted home after her family had thought it might be for the best considering her health was deteriorating. Steve forgot that she was now an old lady. A part of him didn't know if he was doing the right thing in going to see her.

How would she react to seeing him? Would she be happy? He didn't know. He only knew that Rosalie had been right. He could stand back and do nothing. How could he? It wasn't in his nature.

"Steve…you know that they only booked one room, right?" Rosalie said once they had checked in and the receptionist had given Rosalie the card key. She kept hold of it in her fingertips as they rode the elevator up the floors to the fourth one.

Stepping into the corridor, Steve gulped anxiously. "Do you want me to get a separate room?"

"No," Rosalie said with a shake of her head. "I know that you'd feel more comfortable doing that though, so if you want to…then fine…but I'm happy to share."

"I just don't know if it is right," Steve said and Rosalie let her lips quirk as they wandered down the corridor and she looked for the number of the room.

Coming to it, she slipped the key into the door and pushed the door wide open. She stepped inside as Steve carried the bags. She held the door wide open for him and he stepped into the room. The situation seemed to get even worse as Steve noticed there was only a double bed in the room. Depositing his duffel bag on the bed, he left Rosalie's suitcase by the wardrobe.

Rosalie wandered around the room, seeing the fluffy white duvet on the bed along with the plump pillows. The window was floor length and the view was over the bustling street. There was a desk opposite the bed with a leather chair while a TV hung on the wall. There was a wardrobe by the door and a small bathroom leading off the room.

"It's cosy," Rosalie said.

"It has only one bed," Steve nodded to it.

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Don't worry," she informed him. "I won't steal your virtue, Steve. We've fallen asleep next to each other anyway."

"What about you?"

"What about me?" Rosalie wondered from him. "Steve, if you're worried about my virtue then don't bother. My reputation died a long time ago after what I did. So what do you want to do? Peggy should be up to visitors in another hour according to the visiting schedule."

"I guess so," Steve said.

"Did you want me to come?" Rosalie wondered from him. "I can wait outside for you. I don't want to intrude, but I'll be there when you're…well…whenever you need me."

Nodding, Steve seemed to agree and Rosalie saw the anxiousness on his face. She moved to peck him on the cheek, holding onto his hand for a moment before she let go.

"I'll go and freshen up then."

…

Steve could feel his palms sweating as he thought about what he was about to do. It took him a few moments before he found the courage to walk into the room. The nurses had told him that Peggy was suffering with her memory. She was able to recognise people for certain amounts of time and then forgot them. Steve stood by the doorway, looking inside to see her laid in bed. Photo frames surrounded her while her pills were laid out on the bedside table.

Rosalie had stayed in the corridor, hands in the pockets of her jeans as she waited for Steve to return. He had looked to her for a moment and she had nodded at him. Heading towards the room, Steve inhaled a sharp breath before stepping inside. He walked closer to the bed and saw the woman turn her head to look at him.

There were elements of the old Peggy he recognised. She was looking at him with those eyes he had dreamed of seeing for so long. Her hair was white and curly and her face covered in wrinkles. Her mouth was slightly agape as soon as she saw him. She made a soft gasping noise as Steve moved to sit down by her bedside.

"It's you," she gasped out in a short breath as Steve leant forwards and moved his hand to the bed, taking hold of hers. "Steve…"

"It's me, Peggy," Steve assured her.

"You came back," Peggy whispered, on the verge of sobbing to him. "It's been so long, Steve…so long…"

"I know, Peg," Steve whispered to her as she moved a hand to his cheek, stroking it slowly as Steve managed a smile for her, knowing that he had to be the strong one now. "I couldn't not come and see my favourite girl, right?"

Peggy sniffed and chuckled, a hand going to her cheek. "I look a little different than I did all those years ago."

"Still as stunning," he assured her in a whisper and she smiled again, her eyes wide and wet as Steve watched her.

"I never remember you being able to flatter people," Peggy said and Steve did smile then, a genuine heartfelt smile as he looked to the photographs on her bedside table, seeing the family that smiled back at him.

"You should be so proud, Peggy," he commented.

Peggy followed his gaze and nodded. "My son and daughter," she told him. "Thankfully neither of them ended up following my footsteps. My son is in accounting and my daughter is a nurse. My niece…well…she went to work for S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Oh yeah?" Steve asked from her.

"Someone had to keep the Carter name going," Peggy shrugged her shoulders. "I…I did as much as I could do until retirement. I wanted to enjoy my time without…well…you know how it is, Steve."

"I do," Steve confirmed with a nod of his head. "I also know that it can't go on forever. Maybe one day I will retire too."

Peggy shook her head. "Not you," she said to him. "I know you, Steve. You always want to do the right thing and the right thing is keeping the suit and staying as Captain America."

"Perhaps," Steve nodded at her.

"But I am so sorry," Peggy said to him. "You never lived a full life…you were taken from me…"

"I know," Steve said in a whisper as she continued to watch him. "But I'm fine, Peggy, I'm doing okay…alright…"

"But you must be so lonely," Peggy whispered in a soft voice as he kept hold of her hand, squeezing it tightly as he saw her look almost in anguish. "You saved the world, Steve, and we have gone and ruined it for you to save again. How many times are you going to have to do that?"

Steve shrugged his shoulders. "As long as it takes, Peg," he whispered. "Knowing that you helped create S.H.I.E.L.D. makes me want to keep going for you."

She did smile then. "But not forever," she whispered. "You deserve a life."

Steve nodded. "I have a life," he informed her. "I…I'm alright, Peggy…trust me…"

Peggy arched her brow. "What does that mean?" she enquired from him.

"Nothing," Steve shook his head.

"No it isn't," she replied. "Steve, I have lived a good and full life. I want you to do the same. Please…it might make me feel better if I find out you are doing just that and not living for work."

Steve nodded, keeping her hand in his fingers before gulping. "I met someone," Steve informed her and Peggy's lips quirked. "I met a girl in Washington and she's…well…she's pretty special, Peg. She's a journalist and clever…forceful…a bit like you."

"Well, you have a type," Peggy said and she managed a smile. "What is she called?"

"Rosalie," Steve said. "Rosalie Jonson."

"Do you have a photo?"

Steve gulped again and shook his head. "I don't," he said. "But she is here with me. She's outside waiting-"

"-Steve Rogers, how rude," Peggy said to him and Steve almost laughed at her tone. "Bring her in here. I want to meet her."

"You sure?"

"Positive."

Steve nodded and stood up, moving out to the corridor to find Rosalie stood by the window, people watching. Moving towards her, Steve took hold of her arm and startled her, his grip soft as she turned to him.

"Peggy wants to meet you," Steve spoke.

"Really?"

"Really," Steve confirmed. "What do you say?"

"Well…I…yeah…of course…" Rosalie stammered.

Steve nodded and placed a hand in the small of her back. He let her walk in front and into the room, heading back towards the bed and staying close as he offered her the chair with an outstretched hand. Sitting down in the chair, Rosalie looked to Peggy in the bed as the woman smiled kindly. Moving a hand out, she took hold of Rosalie's hand, patting the back of it.

"Rosalie, this is Peggy. Peggy, this is Rosalie," Steve introduced the two of them.

"If I was sixty years younger I'd be incredibly jealous," Peggy informed her and Rosalie's lips quirked.

"I don't think you have any need to be jealous," Rosalie informed her. "You know that Steve holds you dearly to him. He always will do. You have no reason to be jealous over me."

Peggy felt her stomach flip over at the thought of Steve still talking about her. "Perhaps so," Peggy nodded, "but I have a feeling that there is now someone else he holds close to him."

"I think there might be room for two," Rosalie said.

Peggy looked to Steve. "I like her," she commented.

"Well, I'm glad," Steve said, his tone full of honesty as he spoke.

"You're looking after him, I trust?" Peggy asked from Rosalie. "Steve is very old fashioned. He thinks that he should be the one caring for the woman, but I know him. He needs looking after. He's not as tough as his muscles look."

"I do everything I can for him," Rosalie responded. "But, truthfully, Steve's looked out for me on more than one occasion."

"Sounds like Steve," Peggy mumbled. "Keep an eye on him, Rosalie, he deserves happiness after everything he has done. If you make him happy then I am happy too."

"I'll do my best," Rosalie said as Peggy began to cough.

Steve reached to her bedside table and grabbed hold of the glass of water, bending by her side and helping her to drink it. As she took a sip of the water, her throat cleared, but everything else seemed to change. Peggy began to sob again as Steve took the water from her and Rosalie took it from him to place on the bedside table again.

"Steve?" Peggy said, her voice erratic. "It's you…"

Rosalie moved to her feet and stepped out the way as she watched Steve try to calm Peggy once more. Closing her eyes, Rosalie contemplated how cruel life could be. One moment Peggy was coherent and the next she had no idea who they were. It was cruel and Rosalie felt for her. All she could do was do as the woman had asked from her. She would try her best, anyway.

…

They were in a foreign country and Steve had spent that evening watching Rosalie nap on the bed. She was curled on her side, her knees scrunched up underneath her as her hand was stuffed under the pillow. She was still jet lagged and Steve had told her that they could go and rest. She had ordered room service and scoffed a burger while Steve had done the same, but then he had sat up, watching the TV and letting it play some film he wasn't paying attention to.

"You still awake?"

Rosalie had woken up and was looking at him, her brow arched as she pulled the duvet closer to her chin.

"Yeah," Steve said. "Did you want me to turn the TV off?"

"No," Rosalie shook her head. "I'm awake now. You still thinking about earlier."

"Can't stop thinking," Steve said with a shrug. "She's…she's so different yet she is still the same, if that makes sense."

"It does," Rosalie said to him, reaching out to take hold of one of his hands. "She remembers you, Steve. She will always remember you and no cruel disease can take that away from her."

Steve nodded his head. "I know," he agreed. "I just…it's been a tough day."

"I get that," Rosalie said. "But you know I'm here, right? If you want to talk about anything?"

"Thank you," Steve said, bending down slightly and lifting her hand to kiss the back of it. "I'm glad she met you, Rose. I'm glad you met her."

"Likewise," Rosalie said and looked to the TV screen. "But what are you watching, Steve? Is this _Saw_?"

Steve shrugged. "It's pretty gruesome," he commented.

"Yeah, I know," Rosalie said and moved so that she was resting against Steve's side. "Well, it's certainly going to give you a cultural education."

Steve chuckled, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Just what I need after a long day."

Rosalie said nothing back, letting her eyes set on the TV screen as Steve did the same, his chin resting on the top of her head as his eyes watched the film, but his mind remained on Peggy.

…

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	13. Chapter 13

Steve had woken early that following morning to go for a run, returning back to the hotel room with a bag of croissants and a hot chocolate for Rosalie. He had found her still sleeping in the bed, rolled onto her front with her cheek pressed against the cushion. Steve chuckled at the sight of her. Her hair was mussed up while her pyjamas were askew on her body.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Steve moved his hand towards her shoulder, brushing her hair from her face. She stirred under his touch, slowly opening her eyes. Looking over to him, Rosalie's lips quirked upwards as she saw him sat there. He was dressed in his running gear, but there wasn't a bead of sweat dripping from his forehead.

He looked as perfect as he did when he went to bed. Moving to rest her hand on top of his, she patted his fingers with hers before sitting up, adjusting herself on the bed. Moving, she slowly kissed him on the lips as Steve reciprocated, his hand going to hold her cheek for a moment.

"I could get used to waking up like this," she whispered to him and he chuckled before grabbing hold of the paper bag and cup he had brought back with him.

"Well, it gets even better," he said to her. "Hot chocolate and a croissant."

"God, do you know how annoyingly perfect you are?" she asked from him and he shrugged.

"I try," was all he responded with as she took the hot chocolate and sipped on it while Steve moved to his feet and padded around the room, slipping out of his running trainers and placing them under the desk and out of the way. "Was there anything you want to do today?"

"I don't know," Rosalie shrugged, drawing her knees towards her chest as she cupped the hot chocolate in her fingertips. "What I do know is that we are in London and I think we should act like tourists. Did you want to go and see Peggy again today?"

Steve shrugged. "I don't know," he said to her. "I might go and see her tomorrow. I don't want to overwhelm her. I know she doesn't remember me…but…I…I feel like I should go to her."

"I get it, Steve," she promised him. "So how about we just go for a walk today? Get some lunch? Dinner?"

"Sounds nice," Steve nodded at her. "That does mean that you need to get out of that bed, though."

"In ten minutes," Rosalie said with a sly smile. "It's pretty comfortable here."

"Well, I'm going to go shower then," Steve informed her.

"But you don't even sweat!" Rosalie protested. "How do you workout and not even sweat? It's ridiculous."

Steve chuckled and headed towards the bathroom. "Super soldier, remember?"

Rosalie scoffed and sipped on her drink as she mumbled into it; "Perfect soldier, more like."

…

Wandering around London, Rosalie kept her arm in Steve's. He was dressed in a plain shirt with beige pants, a black jacket over him. Rosalie had a floral dress on paired with black tights and brown ankle boots. She had a leather jacket on, but she had to admit that she was finding it quite warm in London. They had wandered along the Thames and Steve had seen the London Eye, gaping at the sight of him.

"What is that?" he enquired.

"The London Eye," Rosalie said to him. "It's pretty impressive, right?"

"That's one word for it," Steve nodded his head as they weaved in and out of people, but the flow of people didn't seem to bother her. Instead she was more concerned with Steve as he looked as though he had seen something entirely alien to him.

"Want to go on?" Rosalie asked him. "Might be fun."

"We might only be here once," Steve said to her. "You think it might be fun?"

"I think anything is fun if you make it fun," Rosalie said to him. "So, I'll go and grab tickets if you want to get a drink or something? I'm pretty thirsty."

"You're sure?" Steve asked her.

"Yeah, I got this," she said to him, kissing him on the cheek before dashing off.

Steve watched her go before heading to get a bottle of water. He paid for the bottle and waited for Rosalie to return, his mind wandering back to Peggy for a few brief moments. He felt slight guilt that he was in the city, wandering around and Peggy was laid in a bed. She remembered him one moment and then forget him the next. It pained Steve to think of her like that, but it was age. Age was cruel. Age was meant to happen.

And then he thought about Rosalie. She was going to age eventually. She was going to grow old and Steve didn't know if he was going to age like she did. Would that be fair on her? He tried not to think about it, realising that there was already too much negativity for his liking. Rosalie was his now. Peggy had been everything to him. She still was everything to him.

But she had lived a life. He couldn't pine for her. He couldn't do that. He had to realise that he had Rosalie now. She wasn't replacing Peggy and she didn't pretend to. She knew that there would always be a special place for Peggy in his heart. She accepted that and there was no jealousy, only understanding.

Watching her walk back towards him with her bag on her shoulder, he saw her push her hair behind her ear before he moved with haste, grabbing hold of her waist with one hand while the other hand took the back of her neck, cradling it as he bent down and pressed his lips against hers. Closing her eyes, she let Steve kiss her tenderly before pulling back.

"Are you alright, Steve?" Rosalie asked, wondering what had brought this on.

"Perfectly fine," Steve assured her. "Always fine as long as you're here."

She offered him a soft smile. "Well…same…" she said to him. "So you ready?"

"As always," Steve smiled at her and took her hand in his as they headed towards the queue.

…

Sitting in the Italian restaurant, Steve watched as Rosalie logged into their Wi-Fi to check her emails. It was only once the drinks had been served did she shriek once before looking across to Steve, a smile forming on her face. She struggled to contain the beam as she watched Steve and he arched a brow, wondering exactly what was going on.

"I've been offered an interview," she said to him. "At George Washington University as a lecturer in journalism studies. I never even thought I would get anywhere after everything that has happened…after everything I have done."

Steve smiled to her as he saw her sip on her white wine. "You've done nothing wrong," he assured her in a soft tone. "And you are a good journalist. I have read your pieces, Rosalie. You know your stuff and anyone would be lucky to be taught by you. Anyone would be lucky to know you."

Rosalie's lips quirked as she placed her glass down and reached her hand out on the table, letting it rest over Steve's hand. He moved so that he could let her hand rest inside of his, their fingers entwining. She squeezed his hand as he took a sip of his beer with his other hand.

"You know how to say the right thing, don't you?" Rosalie said with a soft smile.

"Never used to know how to," Steve told her. "I used to be rubbish with women. I left that down to Bucky."

"Your best friend?" she asked from him.

"Yeah," Steve nodded back. "He was the tall and handsome one with the strong jaw. He was confident and always had a date…but he was always willing to ditch them for me or try to set me up with a date. There was one time we were on a date and he knew I wasn't happy…he…he told the girls he would catch up with them later and we took a walk. I told him how bad things were at home and he always listened to me. He always listened."

"He sounds like a great friend," Rosalie informed him.

"He was," Steve nodded. "He was the best friend that I could have had, Rose."

"He…I get it, Steve," Rosalie said to him, holding onto his hand tightly. "He was the only one who didn't come home and I know how that hurt you. I…I think the only thing you can do is hold onto his memory. No doubt he will want you to remember the good times."

"I know," Steve assured her. "Although I have to admit it was nice when I turned up looking like this. Girls stopped noticing him and started paying attention to me."

Rosalie laughed at hearing him them. "Well, they still do look at you, in case you hadn't noticed," she informed him. "You're pretty attractive and I think we both know that you could do better than me."

Steve shook his head. "I doubt it," he promised her. "Besides, why do you always belittle yourself? You're…well…you're fairly pretty yourself, Rose."

She arched a brow. "Fairly?" she asked from him and he shrugged.

"Very, then," he said to her. "I'm not pretending to deny that. Besides, you're clever and funny…scary sometimes, but mainly friendly."

Rosalie chuckled then. "When am I scary?" she wondered from him.

"Hey, I've seen YouTube," Steve said to her. "I've seen clips of you telling the press what you think about them all those years ago. I wouldn't want to be on the wrong side of you."

"I don't think that you could ever be on the wrong side of me," Rosalie informed him. "You'd have to do something really bad and, from what I've seen, you've never done anything bad. You're too perfect. It's pretty annoying."

Steve smirked. "So you think we're in this for the long haul then?"

"Depends," Rosalie said to him. "Do you think that you will want me for the long haul?"

"I'm pretty sure no one comes close," Steve said. "Besides, it would be nice to tell people that you were my girl…let people know that we're together."

"Your girl?" Rosalie asked from him. "I think that's a pretty old fashioned term, Steve, but…it's pretty endearing. I think the modern term tends to be 'girlfriend'…but…yeah…I'm pretty sure I'd like to be official."

"Girlfriend and boyfriend, isn't it?" Steve asked. "That's the modern term."

"Yes it is," she said back to him. "But that good nice with me."

"Sounds perfect to me," Steve responded and kissed the back of her hand softly, knowing that nothing could ruin that moment.

…

Time seemed to fly by quickly and before Rosalie knew it she had been with Steve for almost a year. She had been given the job at GWU while Steve worked with S.H.I.E.L.D. Both of them would spend as much time as possible together, having dinner most evenings and then spending the weekends together. Rosalie didn't miss her job as a journalist. She enjoyed teaching. She enjoyed nurturing the next generation. She only hoped that they didn't make the mistakes she made.

Steve was being kept busy at work ad he preferred it that way. He liked staying busy, but there were nights when he would have preferred to stay inside with Rosalie instead of working. He didn't entirely get a say some nights. While he had his own apartment, he spent most time at Rosalie's apartment. They had progressed their relationship, most nights falling asleep next to each other.

Returning home one evening, Steve had bee shocked to find Rosalie cooking. He was usually the one who cooked. But she was stood by the hob, stirring some kind of sauce. She looked up and over to Steve, smiling as she saw him advance towards her. Bending down to kiss her chastely on the cheek, he saw some kind of nervousness in her gaze and smile.

"What is it?" Steve wondered from her.

"Promise not to be mad with me, okay?" she asked from him.

"What is it?" he wondered.

"My parents are in town and they want to come for dinner."

"Okay…"

"And they want to meet you," Rosalie said. "I just don't know if that's a good idea…but…they're insisting."

"It's fine, Rosalie."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. What night are they coming?" he asked, moving to grab a beer from the fridge.

"Tonight," she said and Steve almost choked as he swallowed his beer. He nodded his head, trying to get the head around the fact he was going to meet Rosalie's parents. He only wondered how difficult it could be to meet her parents. It couldn't be that hard, right?

….

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	14. Chapter 14

Steve helped Rosalie set the table, not wanting to admit that he felt a ridiculous amount of nerves as he waited for her parents to arrive. She had finished cooking the sauce and had poured it over the spaghetti while the garlic bread cooked slowly, the smell wafting through the apartment. She inhaled a sharp breath as she waited for her parents and Steve placed the bottle of wine on the table. He looked to her as she dished the food into bowls and placed them on the table at the same time there was a ring from her intercom.

"That's them," she informed him.

"Okay," Steve said with a nod of his head. "Do I look okay or do I need to change?"

"You look fine," she promised him, moving to answer the intercom and let her parents up. She turned to him and tugged at the dress she wore. "Do I look alright?"

"Better than alright," Steve said and she rolled her eyes.

"No time to get romantic now, Mr Rogers," she teased him before she heard a knock on the door.

Opening it wide, she let her parents into the apartment and Steve stood back. He looked at the woman who embraced her daughter, holding onto her tightly. She had neat blonde hair that was coiffed to an inch of perfection. She wore a grey pant suit and had a kind face. The man was tall and lean, dressed in a blue suit, his brown hair also neatly coiffed and parted down the middle.

"Rosalie," her mother cooed and Rosalie pulled back and kissed her mom on the cheek. "We are so sorry that we didn't call sooner."

"It's fine," Rosalie said to them. "I had no idea you were in town."

"Neither did we until last night," her father declared and moved to embrace his daughter. "My firm sent me out here first thing this morning. Apparently there is some accounting nightmare going on in the firm here."

"Sorry to hear it," Rosalie said to them. "Anyway, I made dinner, so why don't you take a seat?"

Rosalie's mother smirked as she looked to Steve and then pointed at him, moving her fingers up and down. "And are you not going to introduce us to this fine young man?" she wondered and Rosalie felt her cheeks redden as she looked to Steve and nodded, clicking her fingers by her sides.

"Right," she said to them. "Mom, dad, this is Steve…but I think you already know that because I have told you about him and you follow the news."

"Did you know that we had reporters at our house trying to get more information?" her father asked from her and Rosalie felt herself groan internally at hearing that. "We told them where to go, of course."

Rosalie smiled softly before moving to Steve and looking to him with an arched brow.

"Well, Steve, this is Martin, my dad, and Jennifer, my mother."

"A pleasure, sir," Steve said, offering his hand to Martin who gladly took it and shook it. Steven then looked to Jennifer and extended his hand again. "Ma'am."

"My gosh, aren't you polite," Jennifer said and Steve picked up on a slight southern drawl from her. "Don't worry, Steve, we've heard all about you, and not just from the Smithsonian we visited this morning."

"Mom," Rosalie complained as she urged her parents to sit down at the dining table, which they did so after a moment. "Steve…well…I know that you know who he is, but he is also just Steve."

"Very strange though," Martin said, taking his seat as Steve sat besides Rosalie and she picked at a slice of garlic bread, dipping it into her sauce as she longed for the awkward talk to be over. "To be frozen for seventy years and then come back to life."

"I couldn't agree more, sir," Steve said to him. "I…I struggled for a while. I struggled to find my place. Everything has changed and I don't know where I really fit in right now."

"Well, I have to say I think you did a marvellous job in New York. You and the rest of the Avengers that is."

"Thank you for saying, ma'am," Steve responded as everyone picked up their cutlery.

"And you are so polite," Jennifer said. "Rosalie hasn't dated anyone polite in such a long time. I am sure you know all about Jacob and what happened there."

"Mom," Rosalie complained as she poured glasses of wine out. "Can we not discuss it?"

"We are not discussing it," Jennifer said. "He was an absolute low life. I struggle to believe that he got away with what he did. It was a disgrace, but I can tell that you are completely different, Steve. You certainly seem different and you seem to make our daughter happy."

"He does," Rosalie said with haste and Steve smiled gently as he ate the spaghetti in, what he thought, was some kind of tomato and vegetable sauce. "Steve has been nothing but kind to me. I…we…we're happy."

"Glad to hear it," Martin said to his daughter. "So tell us Steve, what is it that you do when you're not saving the world?"

Steve chuckled and picked up his glass and sipped on the wine, longing for a beer instead. "I work for S.H.I.E.L.D., sir. I help them with anything and everything. I enjoy it there, but when I am not working for them then I am trying to keep up to date with everything in this modern world. The internet is so useful, I never knew."

"Oh, Steve, tell us about it," Jennifer said as she placed her cutlery down and waved a hand and picked her wine glass up. "I barely understand how to use a computer so you are one step ahead of me. Back in my day we used to write things down."

"Mom used to be a lawyer," Rosalie said. "Dad is still an accountant."

"I quit many years ago," Jennifer said. "I only wish that I could get my husband to do the same. We should be enjoying retirement."

"Soon, Jennifer, soon," Martin said to his wife. "Rosalie, this food is delicious. Your mother had been worrying that you would have forgotten how to cook."

"Really?" Rosalie asked and Jennifer shrugged.

"I know what your diet was like when you worked on that paper," she said to her daughter. "Besides, I suspect Steve here needs a better diet than takeout to stay in shape. Do you stay here often, Steve?"

"Mom, is this an inquisition?" Rosalie demanded.

"Just curious."

"We spend a lot of time together," Steve decided to speak. "Your daughter has helped me more than she knows, ma'am. When I came to DC…at first I didn't know anything. I bumped into Rosalie and she helped me adjust. She helped me try to fit in. She was kind and gracious and I admit that I fell for her. I fell deeply for her and I only hope that you can approve of me courting her."

Martin and Jennifer looked up at hearing Steve's speech and Jennifer almost looked like she was on the verge of tears. She took a moment to look to her husband before smiling widely and moving to her feet. Wandering around the table, she moved her hands and urged Steve to his feet. Steve hesitantly stood up and Jennifer wrapped her arms around Steve, hugging him tightly.

"Thank you so much," Jennifer said.

"Whatever for, ma'am?"

"For proving that manners and chivalry aren't dead," Martin said and moved to his feet as Jennifer released Steve and Martin offered his hand to Steve. "You're a polite young man, Steve. We're just happy so long as our daughter is happy."

"And if you want to make an honest woman out of her then we will not object to that," Jennifer said.

"Mom!" Rosalie snapped at her mother who simply chuckled and went back to her seat.

Steve felt himself smile despite everything and he wondered how he could have been nervous in the first place. Everything had gone well. That certainly made a change in his life.

…

Rosalie washed the dishes while Steve dried them and put them away. Martin and Jennifer had left after dessert and then Rosalie had drained her wine and set about tidying up. Steve had told her that things had gone a lot better than he had expected. He had been happy with that night and told Rosalie that her parents seemed lovely. They had tided up in peace, Rosalie had moved onto another glass of wine while Steve had pulled a beer from the fridge.

"Have you ever thought of marriage?" he suddenly asked and Rosalie thought she might drop the bowl she was washing onto the draining board as she looked at him.

"Jeez," she said, "what has brought that on?"

Steve shrugged. "Just wondering," he said to her. "Do you ever think of it?"

She said nothing for a moment and emptied the water before picking up her wine glass again. "I don't know," she said to him. "I thought about it with Jacob. I wondered what it would be like to be his wife…but…I mean, I never thought about it deeply. I was just the mistress he slept with. What about you?"

Steve put away the bowls. "I thought about it sometimes," he said to her. "When I was a skinny kid in Brooklyn I wondered who would ever want to marry someone like me. I was pretty embarrassing. Bucky was the one who got the girls."

"And now I imagine you could have lines of girls wanting to marry you," she said to him.

"Yeah, but that doesn't bother me," Steve informed her. "I was just wondering. I mean…when is the right time to propose to someone? My mom only knew my dad for…like…six months…before they got married."

"I think it is longer than six months nowadays," Rosalie said. "Then again, it depends on the couple. Why? You're not thinking…are you? I mean…"

"No," Steve said with a quick shake of his head as he picked up his bottle of beer and took a quick swig before looking to her. "I mean…you don't want me to…"

"No," Rosalie said with haste. "I mean, I…I do love you, Steve. I know we don't say it often, but I think the whole point of being in love with someone is that they don't need constant reassurances that you love them."

"Romantic," Steve said sarcastically and she hit him across the arm as the moved to go and sit on the sofa, flopping down on it as Rosalie hooked her arm through Steve's.

"What I am saying is that I love you, but I don't want us to be a couple that have to say it all the time to reassure ourselves," Rosalie informed him. "Jacob always used to tell me how he loved me to appease me. I tell you that I love you because I do love you."

Steve smiled at hearing that, moving to kiss her softly on the lips before pulling back and looking her in the eye.

"I love you too, Rose."

…

Steve and Rosalie didn't mention marriage again for the best part of a year, but that didn't stop Steve from thinking of it. As the months passed by, he longed to know if it was something they should consider. Did she want to marry him? Would she say yes if he asked? Steve didn't know and he was too nervous to ask. As he ran through Washington DC one morning, he found himself speaking with Sam by the side of the road as the man panted for breath.

"I'll catch you up one day," Sam said through his gasps for breath.

"I doubt it," Steve chuckled and offered his him water bottle.

Sam took it and drained the contents. "So when do I get to meet this girlfriend of yours? You've been dating for what? Nearly two years?"

"Almost," Steve said. "I'm sure you can meet her if you want to. It's pretty odd that you haven't anyway."

"True," Sam said. "So what is it? You two pretty solid?"

"I'd say so," Steve said with a shrug of his shoulders. "I don't know how you define these things, but we're happy. She's busy working and I'm with S.H.I.E.L.D. We just…well…we're happy."

"No sign of marriage?" Sam asked and Steve wondered if he had read his mind.

Dropping his hands to his hips, Steve looked down as he took a deep breath. He said nothing for a brief moment or two, choosing to keep quiet as Sam looked at him, his brow arching.

"You've thought of it, haven't you?"

Steve chuckled. "For almost a year," he admitted. "I don't know. Her parents mentioned it when I met them and I keep thinking about it. Would she want to get married? Would she be happy? Would things change?"

"Have you talked to her about it?"

"Months ago," Steve nodded his head. "But we haven't said anything since."

"Man, you've got it bad," Sam chuckled and Steve rolled his eyes.

It was then when a car pulled up alongside them and Steve looked down to it as a woman pulled her sunglasses from her eyes and looked out of the vehicle.

"I'm here to deliver a fossil to a museum," she said coyly and Steve rolled his eyes at hearing her.

"Ha, ha," he said sarcastically and moved to the car as Sam took another drink of water. "I'll see you around Sam."

"Yeah," Sam said, pointing to Steve. "And make sure the next time I see you that you're an engaged man!"

Steve chuckled and climbed into the car as Natasha sped off, talking as she went.

"You're going to ask her to marry you?"

"TBD," Steve simply responded and Natasha let out a low whistle.

"Well, you're going to have to wait. We're needed on a mission."

"Got it," Steve said and pulled out his cell to tell Rosalie, wondering if Sam had a point in what he had said.

…

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	15. Chapter 15

Rosalie finished her call with Steve, relief flowing through her that he was on his way home from his mission. He had been sent with S.T.R.I.K.E. to free hostages from a S.H.I.E.L.D vessel, but there had been something different about him. He had sounded almost angry instead of relieved that he had completed the mission. Rosalie had bitten down on her lip and continued her marking as she sat at her desk in her office. Her mind was distracted, wondering what was going on with Steve. He had promised to swing by campus after he had finished at the Triskelion.

She finished marking her final paper of the day, knowing that her mind wasn't in it before she placed the papers to one side and tided her desk. Looking to her door as a knock sounded on it, she stood up and moved to the glass pane, seeing Steve stood behind it. Opening the door, she moved a hand to his shoulder and stood on her toes, kissing him chastely.

"Hi," she said in a whisper.

"Hey," Steve responded back, but there was something wrong with him. He was smiling, but he was forcing it. She let him into her office and closed the door, smiling over to Paul, the lecturer who was in the office across from hers.

"What's going on?" she asked from him and moved to perch on the edge of her desk while Steve remained stood up, arms folded over his chest as he watched Rosalie dangle from the floor slightly, her arms folded over her lap.

"The mission took a different turn," Steve informed her in a mutter. "Natasha had an ulterior reason for coming. She was extracting data from the ship for Fury. He wants it for Project Insight."

"Am I supposed to understand what that means?" Rosalie dared to ask of Steve and he shook his head.

"Even I'm not entirely sure. It involves three of the Helicarriers linked to spy satellites. They are designed to proactively strike out potential threats before they happen."

"So…like missiles?" Rosalie wondered from him.

"Seems like it," Steve said, "just a different kind of weapon. I don't like it, Rose. I don't like the idea of there being any type of weapon. I've seen destruction and death. I have witnessed it first hand. I don't want to keep seeing it."

"Hey," Rosalie said, sensing that he was getting worked up as she reached to take hold of his arm inside of hers. "Steve, surely they can't use it, right?"

"I don't know," Steve said with a shake of his head. "No one told me about Natasha's secret mission. No one told me and that is the part that hurts me, Rose. I just want to be told the truth. Too many lies…too much distrust…it's not good for S.H.I.E.L.D."

"I know," Rosalie assured him, moving to take hold of his other hand as he stood in front of her. She kept her fingers laced inside of his, holding tightly onto his hands as he lowered his head and closed his eyes. "Did you tell Fury about this?"

"I told him everything," Steve nodded his head. "I told him that I was worried about seeing something like this happen, but he didn't seem as worried. He was more concerned that something like New York would happen again. He is going to shoot before someone commits a crime. This could have people living in fear, Rose."

"Is there anything that you can do?" she wondered from him.

"Nothing," Steve said with a shake of his head. "Times are changing and since New York things are going to be different. I…I went to the Air and Space Museum on my way here. I remember how it was…how times were…Peggy…Bucky…the Howling Commandos. Times were simpler back then. We just had guns to defeat Hydra. Now we have weapons that could destroy without a thought."

"I know," was all that Rose could say. She didn't know what more she could say to him. She was lost as to what she could do to comfort him. Steve was adapting to the modern world. Rosalie suspected the only problem was that there were times when modern life was not what it was cracked up to be. She chewed down on her lip and slipped off of her desk, keeping hold of one of his hands as she reached for her bag from her desk.

"Come on," she urged him, squeezing his fingers.

"Where are we going?"

"I am taking you for dinner and then we are going to go home and sleep. You must be exhausted after everything."

"I guess," Steve meekly responded to her as she dropped her bag into the crook of her arm and he bent down to kiss her. "Thank you."

"I haven't done anything," Rosalie said, slightly taken aback.

"You do enough just by being here."

…

Steve left Rosalie at home to mark her papers the following day. He had gone for a walk and somehow he had found himself outside of the support group that Sam had told him about. Sam seemed to understand exactly how he felt. Sam had known war just like Steve had. Both of them had seen horrors and Sam was now the one helping people overcome their own horrors. Steve had stood in the doorway and listened in before it had finished and Sam came to talk to him, telling him how he had lost his wingman. Steve related. He felt the same when he had lost Bucky.

"I find it a hard time adjusting," Sam admitted to Steve as they stood in the corridors.

"Do you miss it?" Steve wondered from him.

"Well, I have no one giving me orders so that's one good thing," Sam said and Steve smiled as the two of them began walking towards the door, their arms folded over their chest. "Why? Are you thinking about getting out?"

Steve shook his head. "No," he said and then shrugged. "Maybe. I don't know. I don't know what I would do with myself."

"Well does it make you happy?" Sam asked as they walked down the steps onto the sidewalk and then stood still. Steve shrugged once more and looked to Sam.

"It makes me feel safe," he admitted. "It's all that I know how to do and I like helping people. I just worry that I can't do it effectively anymore. I know that it sounds ridiculous and I feel a bit ridiculous, but the job is just safe for me."

"Yeah, but that doesn't answer the question," Sam pointed out. "Does it make you feel happy?"

"I don't know," Steve admitted. "I…I'm happy when I am helping people, yes, but at the moment I feel like I am not doing that."

"And your girlfriend?" Sam wondered. "What does she think about all of this?"

Steve scratched the back of his neck and chuckled, shrugging his shoulders. "Rose is great. She supports me, listens and gives me advice when I need it. She's…honestly…she's amazing."

"Then maybe you need to talk to her?" Sam suggested. "Maybe you need her to help you make your decision. I'm not telling you what to do, but I think that you just need to realise what makes you happy and if that's Rosalie and only Rosalie, then maybe you need time to work out what it is you want to do."

Steve nodded his head, seeming to agree with that. "Maybe," he managed to agree in a small voice.

…

Steve had asked Rosalie to come by his apartment that night and she had agreed, telling him she would pick up a pizza on her way. They had been dating for a long time and while Steve did spend most of his time at hers, it was sometimes nice to be at his own place. Rosalie unlocked the door and let herself in, the noise of music entering her ears. It was classical and clearly old. She smiled as she shut the door behind her, carrying the pizza in one hand as she moved to the living room.

"Romantic music and pizza? Don't tell me this is my lucky night, Mr Rogers," Rosalie called in to the apartment, dropping her bag in the hallway as she went. She almost shrieked out loud at the sight she saw in the living room.

Steve was stood in darkness, Nick Fury was sat across from him.

"What is going on?" Rosalie wondered from Steve as she placed the pizza on the coffee table and looked between the two men, seeing that Fury was holding his phone as he looked to Rosalie and Steve took hold of her by the waist, sensing that something was wrong.

Rosalie had only seen Fury on the TV and in newspapers, but he came across more intimidating than he seemed. He held the phone out and nodded to Rosalie to look down. She did so, her gaze focused on the words on his screen.

 _S.H.I.E.L.D. has been compromised. Act normal. Ears everywhere._

Looking to Steve, he nodded to her as Fury continued his conversation.

"I didn't want to interrupt your romantic evening in, Miss Jonson. My wife kicked me out."

"I am sorry to hear that," Rosalie said cautiously as she felt Steve's grip on her increase, urging for her not to sound so nervous. Looking to him, her eyes widened as she shrugged, unsure of what she should be doing. "Well, Steve has a spare room."

"It would be nice to stay with a friend," Nick said.

"And that's what we are?" Steve wondered.

"Your decision, Rogers, but it might be good."

Before Steve could say anything, loud bangs echoed through the apartment. Steve moved with haste, grabbing hold of Rosalie and pushing her behind him as he saw Fury fall to the floor. He had clearly been shot and was gasping for breath, groaning in pain as the bangs stopped.

"Oh my God," Rosalie whispered and tried to move past Steve to help Fury, but Steve was quick. He kept his arm stretched in front of her body, stopping her from going anywhere as he pointed to the window, urging her to stay out of its way.

Reaching for his shield, he moved by the window and knelt by Fury's side, checking his pulse as the Director continued coughing and spluttering. Steve was about to call for help, but Fury grabbed hold of his arm, his fingers sliding down until he pressed something into Steve's palm. Steve looked down at the flash drive Fury had given him before he coughed out one final piece of advice.

"Don't trust anyone," he urged as a bang on the door echoed throughout the apartment.

Moving to Rosalie's side, Steve took hold of her and ushered her behind him as he held his shield in his grip. He looked to the door as a woman walked in, dressed in pink scrubs with short blonde hair curled to her shoulders.

"Captain Rogers," she spoke, holding a gun in her fingertips.

Steve looked to the familiar woman as she rounded the corner. "Kate?" he asked, noticing his neighbour from next door as he felt Rosalie grip tightly onto his arm.

"I'm Agent Thirteen," she spoke. "I work for S.H.I.E.L.D. I'm assigned to protect you."

"On whose order?" Steve demanded.

"His," the woman responded and Rosalie wondered what the hell was going on as she vaguely recognised the woman as Steve's neighbour. She was checking Fury's pulse before pulling out a radio and speaking into it. "Fury is down. I need medical assistance. The shooter is on the roof."

"We're in pursuit," a voice crackled out from the other end and Steve looked to the window.

"So am I," he said and before Rosalie could do anything, Steve was running forwards, shield in his hand as he leapt through the window. Rosalie rushed over to the window and saw him running along the top of the roof, her hands clinging onto the side of the window as she watched him go with bated breath.

Turning back around, she looked into the room and saw the woman who had called herself Agent Thirteen.

"What the hell is going on?" Rosalie demanded as she heard sirens approaching in the distance.

"Rosalie, isn't it?" she asked her back.

"How do you even know that?"

"Like I said, I was assigned to protect and look after Steve. You've made that job quite difficult considering he prefers spending his time at your apartment," the woman responded. "Listen, I need you to get out of here. Go home and lock the doors. Wait for Steve or someone from S.H.I.E.L.D. to contact you."

"But…" Rosalie trailed off, remembering what Fury had said to Steve. Trust no one. Rosalie simply nodded her head, sensing that they had no time for this as she walked to the doorway and stepped out as the emergency services came in.

…

Rosalie perched on the edge of her sofa, unable to settle as she waited to hear from Steve. She had locked the door and waited. It was almost four in the morning when she heard from Steve. She picked up her phone after one ring, hastily pressing it to her ear.

"Steve?"

"It's me," he whispered down the phone.

"Thanks God," Rosalie sighed. "Are you alright? What is happening?"

"I don't know," Steve admitted to her. "Listen to me, Rose, I can't talk for long. I need you to do as I ask, alright? I need you to go somewhere other than your apartment."

"Why?" Rosalie wondered from him. "Steve, please just talk to me."

"And I will," Steve promised her. "Just leave your cell and go to a hotel…a fancy one…you know…the one we like."

Rosalie sensed he was talking cryptically. She bit down on her lip and thought about the hotel her and Steve always walked by whenever they were in D.C. it was the one with the valet outside a bellhop. The floors were covered in marble and they always joked that they should spend a weekend there and just order room service and lock themselves away.

"Okay," Rosalie said, hoping he knew that she understood.

"I'll come to you soon," he said to her. "I love you, Rose, alright?"

"I love you too," she whispered and he hung up the call, hoping that she was able to get out before S.H.I.E.L.D. got to her.

...

A/N: No idea if anyone is reading, but if you are, let me know what you think!


	16. Chapter 16

Rosalie paced in the hotel room. She had done exactly what Steve had told her to do. She had chucked her phone out and had checked into the posh hotel. She had paid in cash and given a fake name. She suspected that might not help Steve to find her, but he wanted her to be anonymous. She supposed that was the best way. She had locked and bolted the door to the room and walked to the window, peering down onto the street to see if anyone was there.

Thankfully, everything seemed quiet, but that didn't stop her heart from racing and her breathing from speeding up. She had tried to sit still, but she had failed miserably, hands on her hips as she paced up and down the foot of the bed repeatedly. It was around eleven a.m. before she heard a knock on her door. She froze and looked to the wood, wondering whether or not she should move to it. The knock sounded again and she moved slowly, looking through the peephole.

She let out a sigh of relief as soon as she saw Steve stood there. Natasha Romanoff stood over his shoulder, chewing on a piece of gum and her arms folded over her chest. Rosalie unlocked the door and opened it wide. Steve hastily moved in, taking hold of her sides as he looked her up and down and Natasha locked the door once again.

"Are you okay? They didn't get you?" he asked from her and she shook her head, her hands going to his upper arms and holding them loosely.

"I'm fine," she said. "Steve, what is going on?"

"S.H.I.E.L.D. has been compromised," Steve said to her. "I had a meeting with Alexander Pierce. He is Secretary to the World Security Council and he asked me what went on at my apartment last night. He wanted to know why Fury was there. He said that Fury had bugged my apartment and was selling undercover documents."

"What?"

"See?" Natasha interjected, looking slightly jumpy as she checked out the window. "Even your girlfriend knows that is wrong and she doesn't even work for S.H.I.E.L.D."

"You trust Fury," Rosalie said to Steve and he nodded, agreeing with what she had just said. "He wouldn't have done that to you."

"No, but I think he did," Steve said. "He told me that he shared Fury's vision. He wants a better world, but he thinks the one we are in needs to change. He…I didn't trust him and I was right not to. He sent Rumlow and more agents from S.T.R.I.K.E. to try and kill me in an elevator."

"What?" she snapped out again. "Steve, what the hell…how did you escape?"

"You're forgetting I'm a super soldier," he whispered to her.

"But why would Pierce want to kill you?" she demanded from him. "None of it makes any sense. You say that S.H.I.E.L.D. has been compromised, but what does that mean? I don't understand."

"I think that it's because of this," Steve said to her and pulled out the memory drive that Fury had given to him the day before. He tossed it to Natasha and she caught it in her fingertips. "Me and Natasha know who killed Fury, but we need to know who hired him."

"Who?"

"He's called the Winter Soldier," Natasha said, looking to Rosalie as she pulled the hood to her jacket down. "He's credited with several assassinations over the last fifty years. I met him once before and I was lucky to escape. Steve said the man who shot Fury had a metal arm. The Winter Soldier has a metal arm too."

"So you're going after The Winter Soldier?" she asked from him.

"We should be able to find him, but we need to get into this memory stick. We went to a mall and managed to get into it. The memory stick can only be unlocked in New Jersey. We're heading there now."

"Both of you?"

"Yeah," Natasha said with a nod of her head. "We were also undercover and I happened to kiss him to keep us hidden from Rumlow. Hope that doesn't bother you."

"Why did you say that?" Steve demanded from her.

"Because she's your girlfriend and deserves to know, even if it was for a plot. Besides, you're too virtuous to keep it hidden and not feel guilty."

Rosalie shook her head. "I don't care," she said, brushing that off, wondering whether or not Steve would have told her. "So what am I supposed to do? Can I go about everything normally? I mean, not that I'd be able to considering you're now a fugitive and on the run."

"You stay here," Steve said, running his hands up and down her sides, feeling her shirt bunch under his fingertips as he made the movement. I know it isn't ideal, Rose, but I just need you to stay here. It will be safer here than it is out there. Besides, the only reason S.H.I.E.L.D. would want to get you is to get to me."

"Still not a bad ploy," Natasha spoke with a shrug of her shoulder as she looked to Steve with a knowing glance. "Personally, I think you should go somewhere else. You're a sitting duck here."

"So what do I do?" Rosalie wondered with a shrug of her shoulders. "I can't go to my parents and as soon as I buy something on my card I'm certain they can track me."

"That's why you stay here and don't leave," Steve said to her. "I've enough cash to see you through the rest of the week. Please, Rosalie, I don't like this…honestly, I don't, but I can't bring you with us. It's too dangerous."

"You know that I would come, right?" she asked from him.

Steve's lips quirked and he nodded his head. "I know," he whispered and bent down to kiss her chastely. "But I need you to stay here and safe. I'll be back soon."

"Take this too," Natasha said as she handed Rosalie a folder. There was cash inside of it along with what looked like a cell. "It's a burner so it can't be traced. It has only one number in it."

"I assume yours?"

"You assume correctly," Natasha nodded her head. "However, we need to get going, Cap. We don't want them to track us here."

"How did you even know what room I was in?" Rosalie wondered as Natasha sauntered towards the door with a smirk and Steve shook his head.

"She flirted with the receptionist. Said that my girlfriend had checked in following an argument. He didn't put up much of a fight."

"Just sometimes my charm works," Natasha said with a wink. "Come on."

"Call me if anything happens, or if you need me," Steve demanded from her and she nodded her head.

"I will," she promised him. "Just be careful, Steve. Come back to me, alright?"

"I'll do my best," Steve said and moved to kiss her once more, feeling her hands grip the back of his neck. Steve closed his eyes, scrunching them tightly up as he cupped her cheeks in his hands and then pulled back, looking her in the eye as he spoke. "I love you, Rosalie."

"I love you too," she whispered and felt him move his grip from her and head towards the door.

She stood in the doorway and watched them walk down the hallway to the elevator. Steve looked back to her once they were in the elevator, his lips quirked slightly as he forced himself to smile. It was only when the doors closed did he let out a deep sigh of frustration.

…

Natasha had been dying to ask Steve questions ever since they had climbed into the stolen car and began the drive towards New Jersey.

"Are you going to ask her to marry you?"

Steve almost coughed as he held onto the wheel and drove steadily. Natasha turned her head to the side to look to him as they followed the sat-nav. She had one leg folded over the other. Steve had got rid of his baseball cap and glasses, but he had acquired his shield for safety.

"Why are you asking me that?"

"Well, you've been dating her for a while, right?" Natasha said. "Seems natural to want to marry her. Besides, I saw the guilt on your face when I kissed you. You really do love her."

"Yeah, I do," Steve said with a nod of his head. "She's good for me and I…I love her…never thought I'd find anyone like her in this day and age."

"You know, I know all about her."

"Everyone does," Steve said in a low voice.

"You two were all over the front pages last year," Natasha said. "You got through it too."

"Yeah, well, we weren't going to let it do any damage to us," Steve said. "Besides, we've got bigger things to worry about now. I don't like any of this, Natasha, but I dislike the idea of Rosalie being dragged into it more."

Natasha took a deep breath. "She's hidden," she spoke. "They will want to find her to get to you if they can't find us, but my best bet is that they will find us first."

"So we best get moving, huh?"

"Sounds a good idea to me."

…

Rosalie was anxious. She had been locked in the hotel room for a whole day, but it felt like an eternity. She had closed her eyes and tried to sleep, but she found it impossible. She continued pacing, her mind focused on nothing but Steve. Where was he? Was he okay? Was he coping? She didn't know. She didn't know what more she could do except for wait for him to come back. A part of her felt like a weak link. Natasha was able to help Steve. Then again, she was an elite spy. Rosalie was simply a journalist turned lecturer. She was nothing compared to Natasha. She wasn't equipped to fight with Steve. She would be more of a hindrance than a help.

Rosalie had ordered room service. It was a simple chicken salad and she had picked at it, trying to eat as much as possible but failing. She had showered and changed into her pyjamas, tying her hair into a ponytail as she sat on the bed and looked to the TV, flipping through the channels. She closed her eyes after a few moments, leaning back against the pillows. It was about seven in the evening when she heard a knock on the door.

Moving to her feet, Rosalie looked to the wood and bit down on her lip. Steve hadn't contacted her to tell her that he was coming back. What if he had come back early? She moved cautiously to the door, her bare feet treading on the carpet as she stood in front of the wood and moved to her tiptoes, looking through the peephole.

Her eyes widened at the sight of the man stood on the other side of the wood and she jumped back from the hole. He knocked again and she moved with haste, looking around the room for something she could use to defend herself. She found the sharp knife that had been given with her salad and she moved into the bathroom, closing the door and locking it as he knocked again. Standing against the wall behind the door, she then heard the banging intensify and she knew he was trying to break his way into her apartment. She winced with each noise echoing through the room, one hand going over her mouth to stop her from gasping.

Closing her eyes, she heard the door finally give and bounce against the wall behind it. Rosalie tried not to let fear get the best of her as she heard footsteps grow louder in the room. He opened the wardrobe and shut the doors before moving to the bathroom door. He pulled on the handle, but the door didn't budge.

Rosalie gripped hold tightly of the knife as she heard the door tug open. She began shaking violently as she heard him barge the door and it didn't take long before the wood opened. Rosalie jumped out from her hiding spot then, the knife in the air as she lunged at him. He was quick, though. He grabbed hold of her wrist in one hand while the other hand went to her neck, his metal fingers wrapping around it as he pushed her towards the wall, her feet lifting from the ground.

Gasping for breath, the knife dropped from her grip as she reached forwards, trying to claw away from him. Her fingers hit at his face, tugging at the black material covering his mouth. Somehow she had managed to tug it off and reveal his face, but the man staring back at her looked vaguely familiar. Frowning, she furrowed her brow as she looked to him and wondered if it could be.

"Bucky?" she wondered, but nothing inside of him seemed to resonate. Instead he simply tilted his head to the side and looked to her.

"Who is Bucky?" he demanded from her.

His grip seemed to slacken to let her answer the question. He watched as she gasped for breath, wondering if this Bucky was someone he should be concerned about coming anytime soon.

"You," she choked. "You're him…Bucky Barnes…Steve's friend…I know it…"

"I don't know what you're talking about, but I think it's time you shut up," he said and increased his grip once more, waiting until he heard her breathing shallow and she lost consciousness.

He moved with haste, tossing her over his shoulder, her hair dangling over her head and by his face as he left the hotel through the fire exit to deliver the girl to the man who wanted her.

…

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	17. Chapter 17

Steve didn't entirely know what was going on, but they were slowly getting to the bottom of things. He had managed to get back to D.C. after learning that HYDRA had infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D thanks to Zola following World War II. Zola had taunted them, saying that HYDRA was responsible for some high profile assassinations, telling them how he had been working on some kind of algorithm. They hadn't gained anymore information from him as the base had been destroyed before they could get anything.

Steve had tried to call Rosalie, but her cell always went to voicemail. In the end she had texted to say that she was fine and safe. Steve wanted to hear her voice. And then they had decided that, to get to the bottom of whatever was going on, they needed Japser Sitwell. He had been on the vessel that Steve and Natasha had rescued last week and they suspected he was working for HYDRA. As soon as he was done with Sitwell, Steve intended to go to Rosalie.

They had capture Sitwell with the help of Sam who, in fact, turned out to be not a pilot like Steve had thought. He had told them about the Falcon programme and offered to help. They had gotten information from Sitwell. He had told them how the algorithm was a programme that could calculate who was a threat to HYDRA based on their previous actions. Project Insight was intended to be used to destroy those threats, not to be used to protect people should there be an attack. Innocent people would be killed. People who meant no harm but were perceived as a threat would be destroyed.

They had taken Sitwell then, taking his car to return to S.H.I.E.L.D. to use him to gain access and then shut down Project Insight. Natasha was sat in the back of the car along with Sitwell while Sam drove down the highway, weaving in and out of traffic.

"This thing launches in sixteen hours. We're cutting it close," Natasha declared and Steve nodded his head, agreeing with her.

"We'll use him to bypass security and shut it down," Steve said.

"What?" Sitwell demanded, his voice high pitched as he leant forwards. "That is a terrible idea. You are-"

He never had a chance to finish as he was suddenly yanked from the car and tossed into oncoming traffic. The three of them began to panic as bullets echoed against the metal ceiling. Natasha took hold of Steve, slipping into the front seat and perching on his lap as Sam stopped the car abruptly. Coming to a sudden halt, the man on top of the roof fell down, skidding backwards and using his metal arm to stop himself from going too far.

The three of them stared at him, sensing that they had an idea who it was. Before they could say anything, the car was rammed forwards and Steve turned his head over his shoulder, looking to see a car pushing them along the highway. The man with the metal arm jumped over the roof before they could hit him. His hand smashing into the windscreen and pulling the steering wheel, causing Sam to lose control of the vehicle. He leapt back onto the car behind as Natasha fired her gun towards him, missing due to the car's aim.

Steve reacted with haste, knowing that they were due to crash. He grabbed hold of his shield and somehow managed to grab the two others in the car as the vehicle flew in the air off the side of the highway. Using his shield, he made sure they all landed safely before tumbling in different directions away from the flying car. The vehicle behind them came to a halt as soon as it passed them. Steve watched the man with the metal arm jump down from it and open the back door. He was handed a gun, but that wasn't what concerned Steve.

What concerned him was the fact that he was handed someone else. Before Steve could do anything, the man fired the gun at him as other rogue agents climbed from the vehicle and began firing on the three fugitives. Steve was about to move forwards, but the man with metal arm fired his gun and Steve went flying off the side of the carriageway.

A shriek came in response as Steve heard her familiar yell. He remained silent as he fell into a bus, his shield helping to break the impact of the fall. He shook his head, wondering how they could have found her. Natasha had deleted all the CCTV of them entering the hotel she was in or being near it. They had covered their tracks along with hers. She was supposed to be a ghost.

Steve didn't have a chance to dwell on it for long. Instead he found himself being shot at by the agents, his mind wondering where the Winter Soldier could have gotten to. He managed to fight them off with ease, but he knew that he had to find her. Rushing forwards, Steve was about to try to get back on the highway, but he saw the Winter Soldier preparing to shoot at Natasha. Steve didn't move however as he noticed an agent appear behind the man's shoulder. The man had hold of Rosalie. His Rosalie.

Steve remained stood where he was, shield in his hand as the Winter Soldier held his fire once the agent held his hand up to stop him from shooting. Moving forwards with Rosalie in two, the agent kept hold of her, his grip tight and Steve could hardly believe what he was witnessing. Rosalie was dressed in her striped pyjamas, her hair in a messy ponytail and her feet bare. Her arms were restrained behind her back and her mouth was gagged. Her face was dirty and he saw that there was a red mark on her face.

"Drop the shield," the agent demanded from Steve. "Drop it and she lives."

Steve saw other agents begin to swarm as Rumlow appeared from nowhere, walking forwards with a swagger in his step. The Winter Soldier remained still before a sudden blast moved towards him. Steve kept his hands in the air as he looked to see Natasha from behind a car, the gun he had previously used in his hands. it was then when he saw the Winter Soldier's face, the mask falling from it.

Steve shook his head, his brows furrowing as he did his best to comprehend the sight in front of him. His mouth gaped and he felt confusion echo through him. It couldn't be. How could it be possible? Steve didn't know. All he knew was that he couldn't stop himself from calling his name.

"Bucky?" he wondered.

"Who the hell is Bucky?" his best friend asked him back before the noise of cars echoed through the air and Bucky took off, running away as agents swarmed the entire area.

"Get down!"

Constant yells echoed through the air and Steve turned back to see Rumlow take hold of Rosalie by the arm, dragging her forwards. Steve knelt down on the floor as Natasha almost collapsed from where she had been shot in the shoulder. Sam knelt down, realising there was no use in fighting as Steve saw Rumlow approach him, another agent by his side holding a gun to his head.

Rosalie yelled against the gag covering her mouth, but it was no use.

"We didn't think it would be this easy to find you, Cap, that's why we brought her for insurance."

"Let her go," Steve said roughly.

"Oh, we will, but first we need to make sure you're not a threat to us."

Steve felt a gun being pressed against his forehead then and he closed his eyes as Rosalie tried to fight Rumlow but failed miserably. Steve looked up as he heard the familiar noise of a helicopter above him and he looked up, seeing how a news crew were already on the scene.

"Stop," Rumlow demanded, realising what was happening. "Not now…not now…"

…

Steve watched on as Rosalie was pushed into the back of the van with them and he longed to pull his handcuffs from his body as he saw her stumble to the ground, her arms still tied behind her back. The gag had been taken from her mouth and she grunted in pain as she hauled herself up to sit on the bench next to Steve.

"Hey," Steve said to her as the doors were closed and two other agents sat in helmets against the cab of the car. "Hey, Rose."

He moved so that his forehead was pressing to hers. She gasped for breath as she moved to kiss him, longing to be able to move her hands to hold him, but that would have to be enough. She pulled back after a second as she heard a cough come from Sam.

"I don't think now is the time for romance," Sam said.

"You made a new friend?"

"Not completely," Steve said. "Sam, this is Rose. Rose, this is Sam."

"So you're a superhero too, huh?" she wondered from him and he chuckled darkly, shaking his head back and forth.

"Nah, I just fly," he said to him. "Good to meet you anyway. I've heard a lot about you."

"Likewise," Rosalie said. "Just wish that it was under different circumstances."

"Agreed there," Sam said.

Looking back to Steve, Rosalie looked him in the eye. "It was him, wasn't it?" she asked of him. "That was Bucky?"

"How…how did you know?" Steve asked. She hadn't been able to see his face when Rumlow had held her captive.

"He came for me," Rosalie answered. "He was the one who found me at the hotel. I tried to fight him off, but he was too strong. I managed to pull his mask off and I saw his face. You have a photo of him in your apartment with the rest of the Howling Commandos. He didn't know who he was."

"I know," Steve nodded at her.

"I thought that you said he fell off the train?" Rosalie asked. "Back during the War?"

"He did," Steve said with a nod of his head. "But before then he had been experimented on by Zola. He must have survived the fall and then they got hold of him."

"There was nothing you could have done, Steve," Natasha said in a soft voice.

"She is right," Rosalie whispered, moving to peck him on the cheek. "You weren't to know, Steve. You can't blame yourself for this. You thought that he had died, Steve. You weren't to know what had happened to him."

Steve said nothing further as Sam initiated the next conversation, looking to Natasha. "Look," he said to the guards. "We need to get to a medic."

Before they could do anything else, the guard pulled out what looked like some kind of taser on a stick. Rosalie recoiled as she waved it in her hands, but then she attacked the other guard. Rosalie wondered what the hell was going on before the woman removed her helmet, her dark hair flowing down her body as she looked to the four of them.

"Thank God," she complained. "That thing was suffocating me."

"Another friend?" Rosalie asked from Steve and he quirked his lips before nodding.

…

Sam helped Natasha out of the van as they came to some kind of abandoned dam. Steve looked to Rosalie, noting how she had no shoes on and was simply clad in her pyjamas. He climbed down from the van and held his arms out to her. Rosalie took hold of his shoulders, thinking that he was just going to help her down, but he moved to bend slightly, his arms knocking her from her feet as he cradled her in his hold.

"Steve, I'm pretty heavy," she said as he strode forwards behind Maria, Sam and Natasha.

His lips quirked at that. "Super soldier," was all he muttered to her and she rolled her eyes as they entered the hidden base.

Steve carried Rosalie forwards before they wandered down the corridor and they all froze at what they saw. Nick Fury was still alive.

…

Rosalie had been grateful that Maria had found her some boots to wear. She had slipped them onto her feet and wandered outside, knowing that she had no place in the conversation that was about to happen. She had no right to know and apparently it was high clearance stuff. She had wandered outside, looking out over the pooled water in the dam as she folded her arms over her chest. She didn't know how long it was before she felt a pair of arms wrap around her from behind.

Smiling softly, Rosalie turned around and leant against Steve, her arms coming to wrap around his waist as her hands splayed on his back.

"You must be freezing," Steve muttered and he moved his arms from her, removing the grey jacket he wore and draping it over her shoulders. She shrugged her arms into it and tugged it tightly around herself as Steve ran his hands up and down her upper arms.

"What's going on?" she wondered from him.

"As you gathered, Fury faked his death to escape Pierce. He couldn't trust anyone, but he seems to trust us now," Steve shrugged his shoulders. "We're going to infiltrate S.H.I.E.L.D. to try and stop the hellicarriers from taking off."

"I heard things in the car," Rosalie said. "I heard how HYDRA infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Correct," Steve said. "They want to use the hellicarriers to wipe out whoever might be considered a threat to HYDRA…me, Stark, Natahsa, Banner…people like that. The problem is anyone might be a threat. It will kill millions. That was the real intention of Project Insight."

"Jesus," Rosalie whispered in disbelief, shaking her head back and forth as Steve nodded in agreement.

"So we need to break in there and replace their targeting blades with ones that Fury has to stop the hellicarriers from carrying on their purpose. We need to do all three to stop them from triangulating. We're bringing down S.H.I.E.L.D."

Rosalie nodded. "Steve, I don't think you're supposed to be telling me this. I don't exactly have clearance."

"Yeah, but neither does Sam and he was there."

"But he can help," Rosalie said. "I can't help. I just hinder you by getting kidnapped."

"I trust you," Steve said, his hands holding her shoulders. "Isn't that enough?"

"It is for me," Rosalie nodded her head. "But it works both ways, right?"

"Right," Steve said. "Why…do you not trust me?"

"I do," Rosalie said, "but I don't trust you to tell me what's on your mind because I know you'll bottle it up. You just found out that your best friend is still alive."

Steve nodded and looked down. "You're right," Steve said.

"I called his name and he didn't seem to know who he was," Rosalie said.

"I know," Steve said. "You know, Bucky used to always be there for me, Rose. He never abandoned me even when I was scrawny kid getting beaten up. He was always helping me."

"He always did sound like a great guy," Rosalie said and Steve watched her jump to sit up on the ledge of the dam. He moved forwards, not wanting her to fall backwards as he stepped in between her legs and held onto her waist sternly as she took hold of his shoulders. "But whoever that guy was, I don't think that he was the Bucky Barnes you grew up with."

Steve said nothing for a moment as Rosalie ran her hands along his shoulders. He said nothing as he lowered his head, almost struggling to look her in the eye. Steve felt her move a hand to his chin, picking his gaze back up to hers as she managed a small smile.

"But that isn't to say that he isn't still somewhere inside of him," Rosalie whispered.

"That's what I'm hoping," Steve said.

"He's going to be there, you know," Rosalie whispered. "HYDRA has control of him. Are you going to be alright?"

"I'm going to have to be," Steve shrugged to her. "I'll be able to deal with him. Maybe he'll remember me…or some part of me."

"Maybe," Rosalie agreed. "But I'm…I'm not happy with this plan, Steve. You…I know that I won't be able to persuade you not to go through with this plan because that is who you are. You are Captain America and I am not going to change that. It doesn't mean that I'm ever going to stop worrying though. So…just promise me you'll be careful."

"As careful as I can be," Steve assured her.

"Good…because…I can't actually imagine a life without you now, you understand me? I need you."

"Hey," Steve said, trying to soothe her softly as he cradled her cheeks in his grip. "I'm going to do this. Everything will be alright."

Rosalie nodded and moved to kiss him chastely before pulling back as Steve then moved to kiss her again, this time making sure that the kiss was deeper as his hand tangled in her hair and he pulled her towards him until he felt her legs wrap around his waist. She let her hands rest on his shoulders as felt him pull back and saw him blush slightly. She chuckled before smirking.

"Don't worry, Rogers," she teased him. "I won't ruin your virtue."

"Don't tease," Steve said, kissing her once more. "Besides, before anything like that happens I'd rather marry you first."

It was a slip of the tongue and Rosalie knew it. She knew that it was just a figure of speech, but she couldn't help herself from replying before she even had a chance to think about what she was saying.

"Maybe I'll let you do that," she said with a nod of her head.

Steve's eyes widened. "Rose…I'm…I'm not asking…I didn't mean…"

"I know," Rosalie said. "But I mean…if you were asking then I would say yes, just so you know. So I mean, if you wanted to ask."

"I do," Steve said with a nod of his head. "But I wanted to do it properly. I wanted to ask your father's consent. I wanted to do it properly."

"Then do it," Rosalie said, stroking his cheek softly. "But just so you know I'll say yes."

Steve nodded, gulping loudly as he looked her in the eye and thought about what had just happened. He was still confused, yet he felt a strange sense of happiness despite everything. It gave him hope that he could get through this because, if he did, he would have the idea of Rosalie as his wife to come back to. That was enough to make him want to get this out of the way with.

….

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	18. Chapter 18

Steve had left Rosalie in another hotel in D.C. before he had gone to S.H.I.E.L.D. He had held her tenderly, kissing her softly and assured her that he would be back soon. Rosalie had been forced to watch events unfold on the TV. The news showed the events that were unfolding and Rosalie could only watch with bated breath, her stomach churning as a camera seemed to zoom in on activity taking place on the roof. She didn't know what plan they had come up with to make sure the hellicarriers didn't take off, but they were pushing it close as the hellicarriers were already in the air.

The helicopter news camera following the action closed in on Steve and Rosalie held her breath as she saw him leap from a hellicarrier. She wondered what the hell he was doing before she saw him grab hold of Sam, the man they had come to know as the Falcon. He flew Steve back up to the hellicarrier and that was when Rosalie saw him.

Bucky. Bucky was on the hellicarrier. The news crew tried to follow all of the action, but the hellicarrier was rising too high for them to do it. It was still going and the last thing Rosalie had seen was Steve almost fall from the hellicarrier. She closed her eyes, feeling tears threaten to fall from her eyes as she wondered what was going on. She wanted to go down there. She wanted to go and find out.

She knew that Steve had told her to wait. He had told her not to come. But she needed him. Leaving the hotel, she rushed onto the sidewalk and hailed a cab with relative ease. Climbing into the back of it, she pulled out a wad of tens and placed them at the front, telling him to get as close to the hellicarrier as possible. He didn't seem to question her, but the roads were all shut off, the police making sure no one got near the hellicarrier.

"Sorry, miss," he said in a low voice. "That's as close as I can get yer."

"Fine…thanks," Rosalie managed to say.

Climbing from the cab, she saw that the hellicarrier was now too high in the air for anyone to truly see what was happening. The police stopped her from advancing any closer and all that she could do was watch on in horror, wondering if Steve was able to stop the plan from coming to fruition.

…

Steve knew what had happened. He knew that he had been shot. He knew that Bucky had shot him, but he had somehow managed to stop HYDRA. He had somehow done it, but the rest of it was a blur to him. All he knew was that he had fallen from the hellicarrier once they had tumbled from the sky. Pierce had failed in his mission and that was all that Steve had cared about at that time.

"Steve…it's me…Steve…"

Steve knew that the voice sounded familiar as he struggled to open his eyes. It was so much more peaceful in his own mind. He was trying to recall the past events, but he had to admit that he was struggling.

"Steve…darling…please…"

Darling? Had anyone ever called him darling except for his mother. Who was this? Who was talking to him? Her voice sounded so familiar. Steve knew that he wanted to open his eyes to find out. He wanted to see who it was, but he didn't know if he had the strength. Her voice was soft and soothing. Steve almost wanted to smile, but he didn't know if he could. Instead he remained silent, listening to the soft voice talking to him in tender tones.

"Steve…come on…wake up…you promised that you would come back to me…you promised me, okay? You told me that we had a life together…we have things that we need to do…you…me…come on, Steve. I need you. I need you more than you know because I am so deeply in love with you that it scares me."

Steve didn't respond. He didn't know if he could respond, but then her voice seemed to grow quieter, almost as though she was stepping away from him.

"What the hell did you do to him?" she was angry. She was beyond angry. There was a rage in her voice that made Steve feel slightly uncomfortable. She wasn't supposed to be angry. She wasn't supposed to yell like that. Who had upset her? Who had done this to her?

"He was your friend. He was your friend and he…all he did was try to help you…what did you do to him?"

Whoever she was yelling at didn't respond. There was no response. There was only silence. There was nothing.

"I can't do this," she said, sounding distressed. "I'm not doing this with you. He needs me."

"Steve," the person finally responded and Steve knew it was a man's voice. He could tell that much. "Steve Rogers."

"That's him," the woman responded. "He's your best friend. You need to know that. He…he loves you…"

"He didn't fight back," he responded to her. "I did this to him and he didn't fight back."

It was then when there was a commotion of noise. Sirens whirled in the background and Steve couldn't place any more voice. Instead all that he heard was people saying that he was fighting for his life.

…

Rosalie had watched the hellicarriers crash into the Potomac, her heart racing as she noted Steve on one of them. The costume was the giveaway and she had managed to sneak past the police through a side street. She had found herself on the walkway around the Potomac, looking to the hellicarriers as they came crashing down. She knew that she should get out of the way, but as soon as she had seen Steve she couldn't. The ship had crashed into the water and Rosalie had found herself jumping onto the banks of the Potomac, longing for Steve to rear his head.

But then she had seen him being dragged out by Bucky. Calling for an ambulance, she feared the worst as she knelt by his side and begged him to come back to her. Since then, she hadn't left his side. He had been hospital for over a week and he was still sleeping. He had been shot in multiple places and his eyes were puffy and swollen. He had a few stitched by his cheek.

"How's he doing today?"

Sam had been in everyday to see how Steve was doing. Rosalie managed a small smile over to him, her hand holding Steve's tightly. She hadn't stopped holding onto him, speaking soothingly and wondering if he could hear her.

"They say that he is slowly getting better," Rosalie said. "It will be weeks before he makes a full recovery."

"Has he woken up?"

"No," Rosalie said with a shake of her head.

"He will," Sam said confidently. "Look, Natasha is testifying in front of Congress today. They're blaming her and Steve for bringing down S.H.I.E.L.D. which we all know is a bunch of crap because it was already compromised by HYDRA. I just want you to know what they might end up saying about him."

Rosalie shook her head. "They can say what they like," she said. "They'll find out the truth and when they do they will realise how badly they need him…Natasha…you…because without all of you HYDRA would have murdered thousands of innocent people."

"You know, maybe you should go and sit in Steve's place," he said and her lips quirked as she shook her head.

"I am certain that Natasha will be able to give as good as she gets," she responded. "Besides, I need to be here when he wakes up."

"Have you been home at all?" Sam wondered from her.

"No," she said. "The nurses keep reminding me that visiting hours are between ten and six, but I won't move, not while he is like this. They seem to have gotten that into their heads because they haven't bothered me recently."

"And you are certain that you don't need to go home?" Sam asked. "How are you sleeping here?"

"Uncomfortably," Rosalie said. "I've managed to persuade Sarah at work to cover my lectures for the last couple of weeks. I've…I just know that if the roles were reversed, Steve would never leave me just like I'm not leaving him."

Sam's lips quirked. "You two must really love each other," he said in a small voice.

"I suspect so," Rosalie said. "It's hard to find a guy like Steve in this day and age. He's pretty rare."

"Because he's from the 40s?" he asked. "And just happens to be Captain America?"

Rosalie shrugged. "They're just a couple of reasons," she said. "Besides, he's Steve Rogers to me before he's Captain Amercia."

Sam nodded once before looking to Rosalie. "Listen, I'll go and fetch you a sandwich and a coffee while I'm here. I don't want you going hungry and Steve sure as hell wouldn't want you to. I'll be back in a bit, alright?"

"Thanks, Sam," Rosalie answered and watched him go.

…

Rosalie felt her breathing come out in short pants as soon as she realised what was happening. Moving to sit on the edge of the chair, she grabbed hold of his hand with both of hers, squeezing it tightly as she heard him mutter incoherently. It was a few seconds later when his eyes opened as far as they could considering the swelling. Her lips arched upwards as she moved to her feet and hovered over him, one hand going to tenderly cup his cheek.

"Steve," she whispered his name. "It's alright…I'm here…"

"Rose," he managed to whisper and she nodded with haste, feeling tears well in her eyes as she stroked her thumb along the curve of his cheekbones. "What happened?"

"A lot," Rosalie said, "but I'm not going into it right now…right now I need to find a doctor to check you over, okay? So don't go anywhere."

Steve arched his lips, slightly amused as he heard Rosalie laugh hollowly, kissing him on his forehead.

"Stupid comment, I know," she said. "I'll be back in a moment."

Steve managed to peel his eyes open to watch her go, wondering how long it would be before he felt better.

…

Leaning against the pillows as he sat up in the bed, Steve looked to Rosalie as she held yoghurt in her fingertips. She had one hand holding the pot while the other held the spoon. She spooned some of the vanilla flavoured yoghurt onto the spoon and fed Steve a mouthful. Steve swallowed it down before speaking in a low tone.

"You know, it's pretty embarrassing," Steve said. "Captain America needs to be fed yoghurt."

"Because Captain America was beaten to within an inch of his life and shot at," Rosalie responded. "Besides, there's security outside so the press can't get in. I wouldn't worry too much about it."

Steve smirked at hearing her as he saw her take a mouthful. "Although I do think that yoghurt is meant for patients."

Rosalie sent him a small smirk, popping the spoon from her lips before putting it back into the pot and pulling another spoonful out. Steve took another mouthful as he saw Rosalie cross her legs on the bed.

"So…" Steve drawled. "Are you going to tell me what happened?"

"You don't remember?" she wondered from him.

"I remember Bucky being on the hellicarrier…he shot me…punched me…but then I passed out when I hit the water."

Nodding, Rosalie gulped as she placed the yoghurt down on the tray at the bottom of the bed. She turned to look to Steve, taking hold of his hand as he let his fingers move to entwine with hers, holding them gently as his thumb roamed over her knuckles.

"Bucky pulled you from the water," she informed him in a soft voice. "He dragged you to the shore."

"And you were there?" Steve asked from her.

"Yes," Rosalie nodded. "I know you told me to stay put, but I couldn't. I saw the hellicarrier fall into the water and I followed it along the bank. I've never ran as fast as that."

Steve smirked at hearing her, rolling his eyes at her unfitness. "I didn't know who it was," Steve said. "I could hear voices…but I couldn't place the names. I thought that was it. I didn't think I was going to make it."

"Well, you did," Rosalie said, squeezing his fingers. "You made it and that is all that counts, Steve. Bucky is in there somewhere. That man might be the Winter Soldier, but I think there is a part of Bucky Barnes trying to get out."

"If he saved me then there must be," Steve nodded. "Where did he go?"

"He ran off as soon as the ambulance arrived," Rosalie said. "I don't know where he want. I…well…I kind of ripped into him a bit. I was angry with what he had done to you."

Steve chuckled. "The Bucky I knew wouldn't be used to that. Women tended to swoon at his feet, not get angry with him."

"Well, I'm sure that he could handle it," Rosalie said.

Steve gulped loudly, still holding her hand and stroking her knuckles slowly. "You know what this means, Rose?" he whispered to her. "Bucky is still out there and I need to help him. I need to find him and I need to help him. He's my best friend. I owe him that much."

Rosalie let out a shaky breath as she closed her eyes for a moment. Steve longed to move his hand towards her, but he couldn't even lift his arm. All that he could do was keep still and long for her to keep a hold of him. She bit down on her lip and looked him in the eye.

"Can you just focus on getting better first…please?" Rosalie urged from him, not wanting to think about what could happen to him if he came face to face with Bucky again. Would Bucky be himself or would he be the Winter Soldier? Steve didn't know and that was what scared him. "Just get better and then we can figure out what to do…both of us together?"

Steve suspected it would be easier to agree with her instead of argue. So he saw her lips quirk as she gave a nod.

"You know," Steve said in a small voice, "after all of this it's made me realise one thing."

"And what is that?" she wondered, stroking his hair back slowly.

"That I really need to speak with your father."

Rosalie was about to ask why, but then she remembered what he had said. Leaning forwards, she kissed him chastely, the motion tender and slow as she let her lips linger against his. Pulling back after a second, she leant her forehead against his.

"Then you're in luck," she said. "They heard what happened and they're flying out here to see how you're doing. You know, they're quite infatuated with you."

"I'm glad I impress," Steve said.

"Well, you're a pretty impressive guy," Rosalie responded. "But my answer would still be yes if you asked me now."

"I might be impressive," Steve said, "but I'm still traditional."

Rosalie leant forwards to kiss him once more. "And I love you for it."

…

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	19. Chapter 19

Jennifer and Martin Jonson were everything that Steve wanted in life. They were successful, but they didn't flaunt their wealth. But more than that, they were deeply in love. They still looked at each other as if they were everything to each other. They had a loving daughter who they had raised into a fine young woman. They had stood by her through everything she had been through and adored her just as she adored them. When they had come to visit Steve in hospital, he was slowly on his way to getting better.

"Those armed guards outside are supposed to make me feel safe but they are slightly unnerving," Jennifer commented as she walked in the room and saw Steve in the bed, his lip cut and his eyes covered in bruises and cuts.

"Well, Steve is Captain America," Rosalie responded as she moved to her feet and embraced her mother and then her father, holding onto them tightly.

"Steve, darling," Jennifer cooed as she moved to his bedside. "How are you feeling?"

Steve didn't answer straight away as he watched her bend down and kiss him chastely on the cheek before pulling back and sitting down on the vacant chair as Martin went to the other side and took hold of Steve's shoulder, shaking it lightly before moving to sit down on the other chair.

"I'm doing fine," Steve said to her. "I'm healing, anyway."

"We saw everything that happened," Jennifer said. "We were watching on the TV and then after everything the government tried to blame you…although that woman…the red head…she did an excellent job in front of the hearing."

"Natasha," Rosalie answered for her mother.

"She's good," Martin said with a nod of his head. "How anyone can blame you for exposing S.H.I.E.L.D. is beyond me. They were corrupt and would have murdered thousands…millions…it's absolutely crazy."

"I know," Jennifer said.

Martin and Jennifer seemed not to know anything about Bucky and Rosalie was pleased to keep it that way. She didn't think that it was wise to talk about him. She still had to try to persuade Steve not to go after him. Of course, she knew that would be impossible because Steve felt as though he owed Bucky a debt, despite Steve not knowing that Bucky was still alive.

"Anyway, we're glad to see that you're doing well, Steve."

"I am, thank you," Steve said with a nod of his head. "Although…" Steve pushed his luck as Rosalie watched him, knowing what was going through his mind as she let her lips quirk upwards. "I would love a cup of coffee from the cafeteria. They're not letting me drink anything in here except water."

"Of course," Rosalie said and Steve felt himself warm up, knowing that Rosalie knew exactly what he was doing as the smirk remained fixed on her face. "Mom, why don't you come and give me a hand? I'll bring back coffee for everyone."

"Sure," Jennifer said, picking her purse up from her lap and following her daughter from the room and towards the cafeteria.

Steve coughed into his fist before looking to Martin. "There's something I have actually wanted to ask you, sir," Steve began. "I have been thinking about it for a while and I wanted to do it right. I…well…you know that I am not exactly from this era so things might have changed, but I think this is the right thing to do."

Martin felt his lips quirk then, speculating on what Steve might be about to ask him. It wasn't difficult to guess, but he wanted to hear it from his own mouth. After a moment, he chuckled and leant back in his seat, hands on his thighs as he nodded his head.

"If you are about to ask me what I think you are about to ask me then I appreciate it," Martin said with a nod and a kind smile on his face. "Really, Steve, in this modern day a bit of chivalry wouldn't go amiss."

Steve smirked and nodded his head. "Thank you, sir," he said. "You know that I love Rosalie. I want to make her just as happy as she makes me. Marrying your daughter…it would be my greatest honour. I never thought that I would feel this way about anyone…not when I woke up…but Rosalie has changed everything for me."

"Steve…I'll let you in on something," Martin said in a low voice. "For a long time I was worried about Rosalie. A lot happened and after what Jacob did, her mother and I were concerned that she wouldn't move on. She threw herself into work when she moved out here and that seemed to be it. We wanted her to make friends…find someone…she had a life before him and he took everything from her and she…well…she was made out to be someone she wasn't."

Martin inhaled a sharp breath and nodded his head. "You've brought out the old Rosalie," Martin said. "She smiles. She's happy. She is energetic. She's the daughter we once knew and you helped her."

"I just try to make her happy."

"I think you do more than that," Martin said. "So, yes, Steve, it would give me nothing but great pleasure if you were to ask her to marry you."

"Thank you, sir," Steve said.

The two men lapsed into silence for a few minutes, both contemplating the future. Martin did his best not to well up when he saw his daughter walk back into the room with the polystyrene cups, her mother behind her. Rosalie caught Steve's eye and she saw a smile play on his lips and she knew instantly that the conversation had gone well.

…

Steve finally left hospital, returning to Rosalie's apartment after she had been the one to promise that she would look after him. He was up and moving about, the bruises slowly healing on his face as he went steady. He spent his days tidying the apartment while Rosalie worked, coming home and scolding him for doing too much. Steve would look sheepish and scratch the back of his neck before shrugging in her direction.

"Rose, I have some news," Steve said in a soft voice when she returned home from work one evening.

She placed her bag on the floor near the sofa before sitting down and tugging her hair from the ponytail it had been in. She pulled the bobble around her wrist and looked to Steve as he sat besides her. She arched a brow as he handed her a glass of wine and she watched him sip on his beer, almost as though he was scared of telling her what he knew.

"HYDRA hasn't gone away, Rose," Steve said in a soft voice to her, moving closer to her as she sipped on her wine, wondering where this conversation was going as she held the glass tightly. "We…well…the Avengers…what is left of us…we're going to try and end them. They can't keep going."

"Okay," Rosalie said with a nod of her head, remaining cautious.

"But to do that I need to go to Avengers Tower…in New York."

"How long for?"

The question hung in the air and Rosalie knew the answer as soon as she had said it. Nodding her head, she looked down to her lap and bit down on her bottom lip. Steve moved quickly, his hand going to the small of her back and resting there as she looked back to him and placed her glass on the table.

"Indefinitely," she answered her own question and Steve let out a deep breath that he had been holding in as he looked down too.

"I know it is not ideal," he whispered to her. "And…I…I cannot ask you to pick up and leave your job to follow me. I know you love lecturing. You are so happy here and you-"

"-But I wouldn't be happy if you left," Rosalie interrupted him and looked to him as Steve's eyes widened and he watched her for a few moments. "Steve, my job does make me happy, but it is just a job. I can find a job in NY. I have nothing keeping me here…I know it is pathetic and I swore never to become like this after Jacob, but I would follow you anywhere."

"Rose, it makes me feel so selfish," Steve whispered in a soft voice. "As though my job is more important than yours."

Rosalie scoffed. "No offence, Steve, but it kind of is," she said. "I teach college students. You save the world. You're job is much more important."

"But you…you're taking this better than I thought you would," Steve admitted and Rosalie chuckled and rolled her eyes.

"How did you think I would take it?" she asked from him.

"I don't really know," Steve said. "I thought that you might be a bit upset."

"And I am," Rosalie said with a shrug of her shoulders. "I do like my job I like D.C…but I don't love them like I love you, alright? I mean, if the roles were reversed and it was me asking you to move because it was really important then would you?"

"Without a doubt," Steve said, not skipping a beat as he moved to kiss her squarely on the lips, the motion tender and slow before he pulled back, his forehead pressing against hers as he moved his hands to hold her cheeks. "I love you, Rosalie. I love you so much."

"I know," she responded with a slim smile. "I love you too."

…

Steve couldn't believe how quickly everything was happening. Rosalie had said that she would stay until the end of the year to teach. She already had a couple of interviews in New York lined up for when they moved in time for the next academic year. Steve helped Rosalie pack boxes ready to be shipped over to New York. They were catching a flight after everything had gone. It hadn't taken Steve long to pack his stuff, but Rosalie had insisted on having everything.

S.H.I.E.L.D. had provided them with an apartment, but Steve's only request had been that they live in Brooklyn. Rosalie had agreed with him, not being too fussed where they lived. As he finished packing the last box in the living room, he flopped onto the sofa as Rosalie remained knelt on the floor, wrapping her mugs and glasses in bubble wrap before boxing them.

"You know, we could've gotten all new stuff in NY," Steve commented and she let her lips quirk.

"I like the things that I have," she informed him. "Besides, why waste money on unnecessary stuff?"

"I guess you're right," Steve said with a nod of his head before rolling the sleeves to his checked shirt up to his elbows.

"So this stuff gets taken tomorrow and then we fly out the day after…and…then what?"

"I guess we unpack and try to make things work," Steve said to her. "You have your interviews and I start working at the Avengers Towers. Fury is laying low for a while and Natasha is still off trying to find herself…it'll just be me, Banner and Stark for a little while. Clint is away too."

"I see," Rosalie nodded her head. "And Bucky?"

Steve bit down on his lip. "What about Bucky?"

"Steve Rogers, you are a terrible liar," Rosalie chuckled, closing the lid to the box and then moving to her feet, tugging down the floral summer dress she wore. "I know that Natasha gave you info on him. What are you doing?"

Steve shrugged and felt some form of sorrow inside of him. "I'm trying to find him," he said to her. "The things that HYDRA did to him…they don't bear thinking about. I just need him to realise who he is, but he is proving difficult to track down."

"Do you think that you can?"

"I hope that I can," Steve said with a firm nod of his head. "I just think that it might take time."

"I know," Rosalie responded. "I know that I can't be much help, Steve, but if you need anything then just let me know. I might not be able to fight, but I was a journalist. I'm not bad at investigating."

"Thank you," Steve said.

"Hey, I am your girlfriend," she said to him.

"Yeah…about that…" Steve said in a deep voice as Rosalie flopped down on the sofa next to him, wrapping her arm through his and taking hold of his hand.

"You know, I've been wondering why you haven't even asked me yet considering I know my father gave you permission. I could see it on your face as soon as I walked in," Rosalie said and Steve rolled his eyes at hearing her, squeezing her fingers tightly for a few moments.

"You know…I imagined things being a little different when I asked you," Steve said. "Maybe in a restaurant or somewhere."

"Absolutely not," Rosalie shook her head. "I'd rather you did it somewhere private."

"Yeah, but a bit more romantic," Steve said to her.

"What?" she asked him. "You think I need roses and chocolates or a moonlight walk?"

"You're a woman of pretty simple tastes, huh?" Steve asked from her in a joking manner.

"All that I want is you, Rogers, and if you don't ask me the question very soon then I'm going to either ask you myself, which I may just do, or I'm going to find where you hid the ring."

"In that case…" Steve trailed off and slipped down from the sofa and onto the floor.

Kneeling down, he watched as Rosalie sat up straight. Digging into his pocket, Steve pulled out a red box, opening the lid to reveal a light blue sapphire on a dull golden band. She couldn't contain her smile as he looked her in the eye and took hold of her hand.

"This was my mother's," he said in a low voice. "I had it stashed away with some other things from my time all those years ago. S.H.I.E.L.D. kept them safe for me…well…Peggy kept them safe."

Steve let out a nervous and shaky breath. "My mother would have adored you, but not as much as I do. She would have been happy…proud even…for me to have met someone like you and that is why I want you to have her ring. I want it to be with you and I guess for that to happen, I have one question….Rosalie Jonson, will you marry me?"

Rosalie could feel her eyes grow wet as she nodded her head at him, struggling to hold back her tears as she launched herself forwards and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding onto him as she whispered into his ear.

"Yes."

Steve grinned and pulled back, watching her dry her eyes before they both laughed and he placed the ring onto her finger.

"A new city and a new chapter," he said in a soft voice to her.

"I can't wait."

….

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	20. Chapter 20

Steve had to admit that he found himself living in a bubble. He liked the bubble that he was in, but he knew that it had to pop eventually one day. He didn't think that he could continue with this kind of happiness, despite the fact that he longed for it more than anything. His days were spent working at the Avengers Towers trying to stop the remaining HYDRA agents who would see nothing but a collapse of civilisation. Rosalie had managed to find a job working at another college after weeks of unemployment and Steve was happy for her.

It had taken her a while to settle in, but she had soon found her feet once she had met all of her students and begun teaching. She had asked him about wedding planning and Steve had to admit that he was oblivious to those kinds of things. He had no idea how to plan a wedding, nor did he know what to do to help her. He had tried his best to have an input on flowers and venues, but he had struggled.

"Rose, if I had my way then it would just be you and me in a church with your parents as witnesses," Steve said to her as they sat in his apartment in Brooklyn.

Rosalie was pouring over bridal magazines while Steve sipped on a beer. He was lounged on the sofa behind her while she knelt on the floor by the coffee table, looking at pages and pages of dresses. She had folded half the pages down for her to come back to later considering she had no idea what type of dress she wanted. It was another moment before she rolled her eyes and closed the book.

"That doesn't sound half bad right now," Rosalie said to him and moved to plop herself up on the sofa next to him as she reached for her glass of wine. "I just don't want to regret not doing the big white wedding. Of course, I know full well that I have no friends to invite."

"The only friends I have aren't exactly normal," Steve said and she laughed at that, nodding her head as she sipped on her wine. "I mean, can you imagine them at the wedding?"

"An Avengers wedding?" Rosalie enquired with a small scoff. "I think my mom and dad might collapse from shock if that happened."

"Really?"

"Well…I mean, it wouldn't exactly be normal, Steve," she said. "I think it took them all of their energy to understand that their daughter was dating Captain America. My mom almost collapsed when she met you. Can you imagine what meeting Thor might do to her? Not to mention the fact she mentions how attractive he is whenever she sees him."

"I can see that," Steve said.

"Really?"

"Well he has that rugged look going for him, doesn't he?" Steve said, taking a swig of his beer. "And he has muscles to rival mine."

"I think they beat yours," Rosalie responded and Steve almost looked horrified at hearing her.

"Are you trying to upset your fiancé?" Steve enquired from her and she laughed loudly, leaning against his side as she shook her head back and forth, moving to kiss Steve tenderly on the cheek as he wrapped his free arm over her shoulders.

"Never," she said to him. "I just can appreciate good muscles when I see them."

"I don't know whether to feel insecure or insulted."

Rosalie laughed again and put her wine glass down. Moving, she knelt on the sofa and let her hands run over Steve's shoulders, holding onto them tightly as he held his beer in one hand and his other hand brushed her hair behind her shoulder slowly.

"I think you're perfect as you are, Steve Rogers," Rosalie assured him, moving to kiss him softly. "I never want you to change."

…

Rosalie finished her marking for the night when Steve walked into the apartment. He found her knelt on the floor, perched over her laptop with a cup of tea next to her. Her hair was tied into a high ponytail while her body was covered in plaid pyjamas. She said nothing as she saw him walk into the apartment, focusing on finishing off her marking. Steve left her to it for a moment, shrugging out of his coat and then sitting down in the armchair in the corner.

Looking over to him, Rosalie closed the lid to her laptop and stood up. She placed one hand onto her hip and then picked up her mug. Sipping on the tea, she felt it was cold as she took a gulp of it.

"Why are you back so late?" she wondered from him.

"Because we found something out," Steve told her. "Baron Wolfgan von Strucker is in Sokovia and we think he has something to do with HYDRA. There's been an insane amount of energy coming from an abandoned building in Sokovia. We think he might have Loki's sceptre and is using it to power weapons for HYDRA."

"What?" she wondered from him, her eyes going wide as both hands held onto her mug and Steve stood up. "How could he have gotten hold of the sceptre?"

"HYDRA infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. and we think they must have got it then," Steve said. "All of us are going to Sokovia. The Avengers are back together."

"When do you go?"

"Tomorrow morning," Steve said to her. "I should be back by the end of the week though."

"Okay…right…yeah…"

Steve could see the nerves in her gaze. He could see her taking hold of her mug tightly. Moving to take it from her grip, he placed it down on the coffee table before taking hold of her waist. He held onto it softly, his grip loose as his fingers ran up and down her sides. Saying nothing for a few moments, it took a moment before Steve bent down to kiss her tenderly on the lips. Pulling back, he brushed his forehead against hers.

"I'll be fine," he told her in a whisper.

"It doesn't stop me worrying," Rosalie responded in a soft voice. "I'm worried about you all of the time when you go out on missions."

"I know," he whispered to her and she took hold of her fingers in hers, holding their hands between them. "I love you, Rose, and I will come back to you. I will always come back to you."

"I'm going to hold you to that," Rosalie responded. "Come on, I'll help you pack. I doubt you can wear your uniform the entire time you're gone."

…

Rosalie waited with patience for Steve to return, but each day felt like an eternity. She went to work and did her best to stay focused, but she was constantly checking her cell when she wasn't lecturing. She was also doing her best to make certain she stayed calm, but it was difficult. It was difficult when she knew what Steve was doing.

By the end of the week she hadn't heard anything from Steve about coming home. He had told her that he was fine and that he hoped to be back soon, but he didn't know when. Rosalie had waited patiently and her patience was rewarded when she saw Steve enter the apartment on Sunday morning. She had been in the process of boiling the kettle on the stove when she had heard the door open.

It was only seven in the morning and she had no doubt that Steve would think that she would still be asleep. Her eyes widened at the sight of him walking into the apartment and she took the kettle from the stove and moved forwards. She watched on as Steve dropped his duffel bag to the floor and let her launch herself into his arms. He held onto her tightly, picking her up from the floor and cradling her against his body as she buried her face against his neck.

Steve let a smile form on his face as he felt her body against his. He doubted that he would ever tire of this feeling. He adored it. He adored having Rosalie with him and he never wanted that to change. She loved him more than anything. He loved her more than anything. Closing his eyes for a moment, he let her slip down his body and stand on the floor. Kissing her as he bent down, Steve smiled against the motion and pulled back, smirking down to her as she ran her hands down his shoulders.

"That's the best thing about coming home," Steve whispered.

"I agree with that," she responded.

…

Walking down the street with Steve, Rosalie had to admit that she was glad that it was reading week. Steve had agreed to go with her to look at wedding venues while Stark and Banner looked into the sceptre, trying to work out where it drew its energy from. Rosalie had told Steve that she had booked a viewing at a hotel in downtown New York that she had seen online.

Walking through the foyer, Steve kept hold of Rosalie's hand inside of his as his fiancée turned on her heel and looked around the grand space. The ceilings were high and the walls decorated with intricate artwork. The floors were marble and it reminded Rosalie of an old fashioned museum.

"This is stunning," Rosalie whispered.

"It is," Steve nodded in agreement with her. "What do you think?"

"I think that I can imagine having the reception here," she said to him.

"And the wedding?"

"I mean, if you want it here then that would be nice. I always thought that you were keen on the idea of a church wedding?"

"I guess that's what we used to do," Steve said. "And it would be nice…traditional…only if you want to do that."

"Of course," Rosalie nodded to him. "So what do you think to having the reception here? We don't need to invite a tonne of people? My parents would be here obviously and if you want to invite your friends than that would be nice. I've met Tony, Sam and Natasha…and we both know my mom would love to meet Thor."

Steve chuckled at that and rolled his eyes as he felt Rosalie run her hand down his arm and wrap hers into his as a woman walked up to them, her heels clicking on the floor as she walked in the tight black dress she wore. She moved her hand down Steve's arm until her fingers slipped into his and Steve looked down to her, a glance of adoration on his face.

"You must be Rosalie?" the woman asked.

"I am," Rosalie said, shaking the woman's hand. "And it's Megan, right?"

"Wedding planner here," she said. "And this must be Steve?"

"Pleasure to meet you, ma'am," Steve said, also shaking her hand as the woman eyed him with intrigue. It was only when she pointed at him, her mouth open did Steve nod his head. "Yes," he said before she could ask him the question. "But today I'm just Steve."

"I thought you looked familiar," she said with a wry smile. "Well, just Steve, it is a pleasure to meet you…and Rosalie, of course. I hear you're looking for a winter wedding?"

Rosalie nodded. "I think we both would like to be married before the end of the year."

"Well, you've left it quite late," the woman said and began walking off through the foyer, letting the couple follow her. "But we do have an open reservation a week before Christmas. Depending on what you want, the price can vary."

"Even we're not too sure," Rosalie admitted. "We've been thinking about it, but it is likely to be a small wedding. We just have friends and my parents."

"Intimate," the woman said. "I hate it when people say they are having a small wedding, as if that makes it any less of a wedding. It is just intimate."

"Sounds nice," Rosalie said as the woman opened a set of double doors.

She let the couple walk into the room first and Rosalie gaped. The woman was large with a big, long table set up at one end of the room by a dance floor. There were round tables scattered around and one was decorated in a white tablecloth with different crockery to show what was available. The room was lavish, decorated with flowers and it smelt summery.

"This is too big," Rosalie suddenly said.

"I thought you might think that," the woman said and moved to the dance floor. "But what we can do is remove the spare tables and make the room smaller by bringing in trellises of flowers that create an intimate feeling. So, you could have a couple of round tables…a stand for the cake by the dance floor…and then the rest is up to you."

"Really?" Rosalie wondered and the woman nodded, moving to grab hold of a tablet that was sat on the table. Picking it up, she showed them pictures of the finished venue and Steve peered of Rosalie's shoulder.

"You can pick the flowers and we can have them sewn into the trellis. Plus, if you need a cake maker then we have a chef in the hotel and catering too."

"Sounds great," Rosalie said and looked over her shoulder to Steve. "What do you think?"

"Looks lovely," Steve nodded.

"I'll give you two sometime to look around," Megan said. "I'll be outside if you need me."

"Thank you," Steve and Rosalie said in chorus.

Rosalie dropped Steve's hand and moved further into the room, looking around as she spun on the dance floor. Steve folded his arms over his chest as he watched her. He could see a look of pure joy on her face and it was enough to make him want to burst with happiness. He adored the sight of her looking so happy. He wanted her to look like that all of the time. She should be happy all of the time.

"What do you think?" Rosalie wondered

"It is nice," Steve said to her. "I never thought I'd be in this position, Rose…marrying someone…and if this makes you happy then I am happy."

Rosalie nodded. "I am happy just to marry you," she said. "But this is nice…intimate…cosy…I want to remember our wedding day and I want it to be perfect."

"This is pretty perfect," Steve nodded in agreement to her. "So we're going to do this?"

Rosalie squealed in delight as she moved to kiss Steve. "We're going to do this," she agreed with him. "We're getting married."

…

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


End file.
